Adopted
by LumiOlivier
Summary: AU: Victor and Violet adopted two precious little boys that they can't help but love and became an unorthodox family. Even though the youngest can't stand the oldest, but that's the way siblings work. And things get even more troublesome when they both want to take up the very thing that brought Mommy and Daddy together. (Sequel: Off the Rails)
1. A Rough Night

**A/N: I'm going to throw some phrases at you. Tell me what comes to mind, ok? A cinnamon roll too pure and too precious for this world that can't hold his liquor to save his life turned actual sex god with one of the most INCREDIBLE glow-ups I've ever seen. A gorgeous Russian man that makes my ovaries explode and turned the cinnamon roll into a sinnamon roll. A smol angry tiger cub that I want to put in my pocket and snuggle wuggle until he gets even more pissed off and that makes him even more adorable. Singlehandedly saved the dumpster fire we call 2016 with the most pure and beautiful relationship. Alright. What could we be talking about? It's kind of obvious, don't you think? YURI ON ICE! YES PLEASE!**

 **It's no surprise if you've stalked me on Tumblr since about the middle of November, I have a little teeny weeny obsession with Yuri On Ice. It's taken over my life. It's ruined me both emotionally and physically. Storytime! I was lying in bed one night and I was thinking about a baby Yuri curling up in bed with Victor and Victor loving him more like a son, instead of his boyfriend. *DISCLAIMER: I AM THE MOST MASSIVE VICTURI SHIPPER YOU WILL EVER MEET. I PINKY PROMISE YOU THAT.* But for the sake of my silly little brain, I thought I'd give that fic a try. And to be a little self-indulgent, because I am such a slut for Victor Nikiforov, I came up with this little dandy. This is probably basically a one-shot collection/toxic waste dump of my imagination. I'll decide that for myself at the end. And I've kind of come to think of both Yuri and Yurio as my children. They are my sons. And I love them. And I need to shut up so you can get what you came here for. Something to make the hangover of hiatus a little more tolerable.**

 **THIS IS AN AU. I'm getting that off the table now. This is, in fact, an AU. Yuri and Yurio are just young children. They've been adopted by Victor and the MC. NOW, I'm going to shut up. Enjoy!**

I loved nighttime in our house. The world turned off. The house was still. My husband's face glows in the moonlight that shined over St. Petersburg. And my boys slept so soundly. All three of them. Bedtime in the Nikiforov household was truly a magical thing.

"Mama! Daddy!" I woke up in a slight panic to the pitter patter of four tiny feet and two tiny bodies at the foot of the bed.

"Victor," I shook Sleeping Beauty, "Victor, wake up."

"But I'm sleeping," he whined.

"What is it, Yuri?" I rolled my eyes, not awake enough to deal with that diva.

"Yurio had a nightmare," Yuri held his little brother's hand.

"So did you!" Yurio pouted, throwing Yuri's hand.

"Alright, boys," I stopped them before they could start, "In the bed. Both of you."

"Ok," Yuri and Yurio scaled the end of our bed and crawled up toward Victor and me.

"Victor!" I yelled at him.

"What, Violet?" Victor growled. Always a bit cranky when I woke him up, "What do you want?"

"Our boys had a nightmare," I filled him in.

"Oh," he rubbed his eyes. That was the thing about when Victor got angry. It never lasted very long, "Ok. Come here, Yuri."

Yuri snuggled over to his father while Yurio came toward me. And all seemed calm and quiet again. Everything was fine. Until I looked over at the clock and realized it was four in the morning. Even worse, Yurio was still awake and shaken from his nightmare. I held him a little tighter. My baby didn't deserve that.

"Yurio?" I looked down at him, "What's the matter?"

He kept his mouth shut. I guess my poor little angel was having a hard time sleeping. I knew exactly what would fix that, "Come on, baby. We're going for a ride. Go get your jacket."

"Ok," I put him down on the floor. If he would've jumped down, he would've snapped his little legs. And a trip to the emergency room wasn't in the plans for tonight.

"Victor," I poked his cheek, "I'm taking the baby. I'll be back in a little while."

"Which baby?" he moaned into his pillow.

"Yurio," I gave a kiss to Yuri's forehead and one to Victor's.

"Mama," Yurio came back in with his shoes in his hand, "I'm ready."

"Alright, baby," I sat on the floor with him, put his shoes on, and the two of us were off. I'm sure Victor and Yuri would be fine without us for a bit.

I knew of one place in all of St. Petersburg that always got me to settle down, find my center, and bring me back down to Earth. Hopefully, it'll work for my little bean, too. Fortunately, Victor and I knew the guy that ran the place and he was kind enough to give us a key. Then again, when five-time gold medalist Victor Nikiforov needs a place to practice at any given time of the day, he's not going to say no.

"Mama," Yurio wondered, "What are we doing at an ice rink?"

"This is where I go when I can't sleep," I told, "Maybe it'll help you, too."

"You're a skater?" he gasped.

"At one time," I nodded, lacing my skates, "It's sort of how I met your dad."

"Victor's not my dad!" Yurio snapped, "Never will be."

"Listen," I sat him on my lap, "Am I your mama?"

"Yeah."

"And what's my last name?"

"Nikiforov."

"And that makes your last name Nikiforov, too," I pointed out, "And who else's last name is Nikiforov?"

"Victor," Yurio pouted.

"Then, that means Victor's your dad."

"Why doesn't he ever act like it then?" he growled, his hands balled up into fists, "He says he loves me, but any chance he gets, if there's an option between me or Yuri, he'll go with Porky every time."

My heart ached. Right from the get go, those boys knew they were adopted. They knew that they didn't share blood with either Victor or me, but that didn't make us any less of a family, "Victor has a different way of expressing his love."

"If it's by forgetting my existence entirely," he scoffed, "I was wrong. Yuri's not his favorite. I am."

"You're so worried about being Victor's favorite," I put things into perspective, "Think of it this way. Do you remember the day we began the process with you and Yuri?"

"What about it?" Yurio began to settle down a bit.

"When we went to pick which one of you we wanted," I explained, "Victor did pick Yuri."

"There's a surprise," he grumbled, "If this is supposed to be making me feel better, it's not working."

"I'm getting there," I poked his nose, "Victor might have picked Yuri, but sweetheart, I picked you. And I love you very much. And so does Victor, whether you choose to accept that or not."

"I love you, too, Mama," he curled up in my lap like an innocent little kitten. All Yurio wanted was Victor's love and approval. Was that too much for him to ask for?

"Now," I kissed his cheek, "I'm going to run a quick routine and we'll go home, ok?"

"Ok," Yurio sat and watched as I turned some music on. In the old days, video game music always did it for me. A soft acoustic guitar filled the room. When I was still skating competitively, this was one of my favorite routines. Three triples, an axel, a lutz, and a toe loop, a double salchow, and a quad flip. In this routine, I was the chosen one. I was a warrior. And I was going to save everyone. And land all my jumps perfectly. Good for me. Granted, I've been out of the game for a while, but I still got it.

"Well?" I asked, completely out of breath, "How'd I do?"

"Mama, that was beautiful," Yurio awed, "What was your routine about?"

"It's about a warrior born to dragons," I sat on the bench, "And how he fights through mobs and mobs of enemies to save the kingdom. It's about perseverance."

"Um…" he looked down at his feet, "Mama…?"

"What, Yuri?" I pulled him to my side.

And by the look in his eye, I might as well have electrocuted him, "You…You called me Yuri…"

"That is your name," I reminded him, "And it's just you and me."

"But…" Yurio quivered, "Victor never…"

"Victor's not here," I cut him off, "Remember? I think I just told you that it's only you and me here. Now, what is it you wanted?"

"I…" he couldn't even look me in the eye. But then all at once, the words blurted out of his mouth, "I want you to teach me your routine!"

"That routine?" I assumed, "I don't know, Yuri. It's kind of difficult. And you've never been on the ice a day in your life."

"Then, you'll teach me!" Yurio demanded, "I'll learn! I promise!"

Never have I ever seen such passion burn in that little boy's eyes. As much as I loved him, I didn't see Yurio as being a quick study. I've seen him trip over his own two feet and over thin air. Even going up the stairs once or twice. The step sequence alone was hard to master. And that was off the ice. Then again, maybe he could surprise me. He certainly had the drive for it. All I needed to see was if he had the talent.

"Alright, Yuri," I settled him, "In the morning, ok?"

"It is morning!" he snarled, going from my sweet little kitten to a full blown, feral tiger.

But that doesn't mean his mama doesn't know how to control him. I picked Yurio up and sat him on my hip, "You're also running on virtually no sleep. We need to get you home and in bed. We can come back tomorrow during normal operating hours."

"But I want to do it in private," Yurio softened, resting his head on my shoulder, "I don't want anyone else to see me until I'm ready."

"Ok," I cradled him against my chest, "Tomorrow night after closing. Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah," he let out a tiny yawn.

"Let's go home," I put him in the backseat of my car and not even two seconds went by before he was out like a light. One day, Yurio, you're going to be that warrior. You may even break some of Victor's records someday. That might be wishful thinking, but I've never seen you on the ice before. I just hope you don't end up hurting yourself too bad. Some bumps and bruises were to be expected. The first time Victor got me on ice, I twisted my ankle and ended up with a bruise on my thigh the size of a dessert plate. He'll be alright, though. I had faith in Yurio. I carried the sleepy boy into our house and put him back to bed. Sleep well, sweetheart.

For now, I had one thing on my mind. Coffee. I needed coffee. And I needed it now. If I go back to sleep now, I won't be able to sleep tonight. Fortunately, Yurio didn't have that problem. I could let him sleep for another six hours and he'd be fine. Thank God for the massive coffee pot in our kitchen. Or, should I say, thank you, Victor.

"Good morning," he chimed, perfectly well rested, "You look awful, Vi. You ok?"

"Thanks, asshole," I gave him a shove, "Do you not remember last night?"

"I remember waking up this morning with Yuri in your spot," Victor said, "Where were you?"

"I took Yurio for a drive," I loved that Victor could be so scatterbrained, "He couldn't sleep."

"Where'd you go?" he reached up into the cabinet and got me a coffee cup. Bless him, "The rink, I'm guessing."

"Yeah," I grabbed a pen off the counter and stirred my creamer in, "You're not going to believe this, but I was doing one of my old routines."

"How'd you do?"

"Like riding a bike," I took my first, long, heavy drink of the nectar of the sleep deprived gods, "That's not the unbelievable part."

"Do tell."

"Yurio wants me to teach it to him," I chuckled a bit, "He wants to learn to skate."

"That's funny," Victor giggled, "Yuri told me the same thing."

 **A/N: And we have our first chapter. For those of you that know what the song could possibly be, you get a high five and I'm taking guesses. If you get it right, you get a virtual cookie. Now, this is going to be a continuous story with some of our other beloved characters coming into the picture soon enough. Notice the lack of a certain four-legged baby in this story. We'll see just about everyone eventually. Don't worry. Also, for those of you that are going to bitch at me for having Victor married to a woman, shut up. Because that's going to be explained a little later. Spoilers and such. See you next chapter! xx**


	2. Let's See What You Can Do

**A/N: Hi, guys! In case you're super new and my YOI fic is your first you've read from me, first of all, what have you been doing with your life? Just jokes, though. I occasionally like to screw with my fan base. But if this is the first you're reading of me, I usually take the opening A/N to check in and sometimes, I have guest reviews that I can't help but respond to. I do that with members, too. Only I answer them in their inbox like a normal person. And I do respond to everyone, so keep that in mind.**

 **But before I get into that, thank you. Thank you all. This is the first time I'm writing for an active, thriving anime fandom and it's beautiful to see the love I've gotten for this already. And I have so many more ideas for this fic. View wise, it's been pretty neck and neck with my Supernatural fic and I think that's a beautiful thing. I thought, for sure, I was going to get hate for this fic because of the lack of Victuri. Victuri's still there. It's just more of the father/son relationship than the squishy, cuddly, canon Victuri. Now, how about those guest reviews?**

 **First one comes from Guest 1. I heard you loud and clear and honestly, I thought I had character tags on this. Guess not. But I did add them just for you. Because…Well…I'm a sweetheart like that. I'm nothing if not a people pleaser.**

 **Next one comes from yuriandviktor, who so beautifully spazzed in my review section. And I'm so glad you're into it! Extra points that you knew the song from the short routine Violet did was…THE DRAGONBORN COMES! Yeah. I'm a huge nerd. I write to video game music and I'd kill to see a good routine to go along with Malukah's stunning voice. If you have never heard the music from Violet's routine, GO YOUTUBE NOW. It's magical. It's chill inducing. It's all around fantastic.**

 **And the last one. Guest 2. Settle down there, buddy. You're sounding too excited. Obviously, I'm going to keep going. I need more, too. Like I said, there's way too many ideas in my head to abandon this fic. It's just not going to happen. I'll be here. Every Wednesday just like the original series. I'm even going to try to post around the same time a new episode would go up, too (only reason why I didn't today was because I had to go to a doctor appointment).**

 **So, where we left off last was kind of cliffhangery, don't you think? Both Yurio and Yuri want to try their hands at figure skating. Yurio was because he saw Mama do it and wanted to give it a try. And it doesn't matter what kind of AU we're doing. We could be doing a YOI AU taking place on the damn moon and Yuri Katsuki is going to be Victor Nikiforov's number one fan. So, let's get to it, shall we?**

 **(Also, random thought I had earlier in the week. Why do I have visions of Victor being really good friends with the boys of the Ouran Host Club and fitting in with them like a glove? Just a thought.)**

Ah, sweet solitude. I loved my boys. Don't get me wrong. But when Victor decides to take Yuri to a movie and Yurio has taken up being nocturnal, that meant Mama was getting some time to herself for a while. At least until I heard the pitter patter of little feet slapping against the hardwood floor. Well, that was nice while it lasted.

"Good morning, baby," I pulled Yurio a bit closer.

"Good morning," Yurio cuddled into me, "It's just you? Where's Yuri and Victor?"

"They went to see a movie," I told, "Did you sleep better than you did last night?"

"Yeah," he looked out at the patio, "Why is it dark outside, Mama?"

"You've been sleeping all day, Yuri," I turned the TV off. He didn't need to see Sex and the City at his age, "And I hope you got plenty of sleep. Are you ready?"

"For what?" Yurio asked, still not entirely awake.

"Do you remember where we were last night?" I sat him on my lap and his head went down on my chest, ready to go back to sleep.

"The ice rink," Yurio perked up almost instantly, "Are you really going to teach me, Mama? I'm going to learn how to do what you do?"

"Of course, Yuri," I nodded, "I told you I would. Now, go get a granola bar. I'm going to grab my warm ups, ok?"

"Ok," he jumped down from the couch and toddled into the kitchen while I grabbed my gym bag out of the closet. Victor's probably going to wonder where the hell I am once he and Yuri come home. I should probably leave a note on the fridge…God knows he gets a little freaked when he comes home and I'm not here. I'm one of his few constants. He doesn't do well with people coming and not staying. So, I grabbed a piece of stationery from the pad in the kitchen.

 _Victor,_

 _Took Yurio to the rink._

 _We'll be back late._

 _All my love,_

 _Vi. xoxo_

And just like that, Yurio and I took off and headed for a friend of mine's ballet studio. I had met Natalia around the same time I met Victor the first time. She was an extremely talented dancer and was kind enough to choreograph my debut short program. We had been friends ever since. When I pulled into the parking lot of Natalia's studio, pure confusion washed over my son's face.

"Um, Mama," Yurio gave me a look, "Are you sure you're teaching me? This isn't the ice rink."

"I know," I turned the car off, "And I am. This is where we begin."

"But there's no ice here," he pouted, "You said you were teaching me your routine."

"And where do you think I started?" I got him out of his car seat, "Right here. Now, you'll see ice soon enough."

"But…"

"No buts, Yuri," I cut him off, "Natalia left it unlocked for me. Go inside."

Yurio made a beeline for the front door and ran inside. Natalia's studio wasn't exactly huge, but her classes were usually around forty people. Most of her students were around Yurio's age. I'm sure if I asked her, she'd give him one on one lessons. But if anyone was going to be able to teach him my routine, it'll be me. Not that I think less of her as a dancer, but Natalia's just that. She's just a dancer. I'd pay money to see her on the ice. On a more slippery surface, she'd have two left feet.

"Mama," Yurio whined, "Why can't I go on the ice yet?"

"Because you're wanting to run before you can even crawl," I explained, throwing my bag on the floor, "For now, we nail the choreography first. And to do that, I need a warmup and to gauge where you're at."

"So…" he wondered, "What do you want me to do?"

"I want a two-minute freestyle right now," I demanded, heading over to the sound system to hook my phone in, "Any requests?"

"What?" Yurio freaked, "I don't know how to dance!"

"Ok," I settled him, queuing up a song that reminded me a lot of my dear Yurio. And a little bit of Victor, too. He could be a little bit of a prima donna, too, "Relax. Honestly, it's not that hard to fake. There's one basic move that can be jazzed anyway you want."

"So, what do we do?"

"Follow my lead," I instructed, "Hip to the left, hip to the right, drop, and back up to the base position. It's an easy four-count. Go."

"So, like…" Yurio tried, but fell a bit short.

"No, no, no," I stopped him, helping him out a little, "This is supposed to loosen you up, Yuri. You're too stiff, too robotic. A little more fluid. Try it again."

"Like this?" he was still too stiff, but I didn't have the heart to tell him. He's lucky I was teaching him and not Natalia. She's a sweetheart when she wants to be, but with the way Yurio's starting out, she'd be clubbing him.

"Here," I hit the play button on the remote, "It's too quiet in here anyway. Remember when you, me, Yuri and Victor went to the beach and that wave knocked you over?"

"Yeah," Yurio nodded, "What's that got to do with it?"

"When the music starts," I told, "I want you to move with the music like it's that wave rolling in and out. Only with this, it'll be left and right."

"So…" The music started and Yurio picked it right up, "More like this?"

"Exactly," I moved with him, "Just like that. We're going to do that for a few four counts. Then, the song's going to speed up a little bit and we're going to try it faster. Is that ok?"

"Ok," I could see the determination burning in his eyes.

"But in time," I stipulated, keeping a close eye on him as the tempo changed. And he was nailing it. I know Yurio wasn't biologically mine, but he was definitely getting that from me, "There you go, Yuri. You're getting it."

"I am?" Yurio beamed, "I'm doing it?"

"You're doing very well, baby," I praised, "Now, we're going to change step here a little bit."

"I don't know, Mama," he winced, "You said I was doing good now. Why are we changing?"

"It's a real simple change," I promised, "When the second verse kicks in, we're going to go with a left hip, left hip, right hip, right hip, left, right, drop, base. Got it?"

"So," the song slowed for the chorus and Yurio followed perfectly with the first move. Until the second verse started, "Left, left, right, right, left, right, down, up?"

"In a more, Dance Dance Revolution kind of way, yeah," I kept up with him, "Whatever works for you."

"What's Dance Dance Revolution?"

"It's a game Mama used to play when she was still living in New York," I was really starting to feel old, "If we ever go there one day, I'll show it to you. Let's add some spins in, too."

"Ok," Yurio tried doing one spin and tripped over his own two feet only to get up and try again. And eat the floor…Again. And that's when his frustration came out, "I can't do it, Mama! It's too hard!"

"You'll get it," I assured him, "You just started, Yuri. It's only the first lesson and I've been at this longer."

"I'll never be as good as you, Mama," he pouted, ready to give up on the day already.

"You know what," I sat on the floor with him, "You're right. You're not going to be as good as me."

"You really know how to give a pep talk, don't you, Mama?"

"You're going to be better than me one day, Yuri," I pulled him into my lap, "You have that potential. And one day, you're going to nail your spins. And any other move I show you. You just need to keep at it."

"You really think I'll be better than you?" Yurio's eyes sparkled with eagerness and resolve.

"I know you will," I kissed the top of his head, "Now, come on. Let's get this down and we can go home."

"Ok!"

With more fire in his belly, Yurio tried harder and harder to land his jumps and his spins. Over the course of the next couple weeks, he had gotten much better than when we first walked into Natalia's studio. Every night was the same. Wake up Yurio, get a little bit of food in him, go to the studio, practice our asses off, and go home. But the one thing Yurio was persistent about was getting on the ice. One night, I decided to surprise him after practice.

"Mama, where are we going?" he asked, "Home is the other way."

"You know," I smirked, "For someone who's been nagging me to get back to the rink for the past couple weeks, you'd think you'd be more excited for this."

"I get to go on the ice tonight?!" Yurio squealed in sheer excitement, "You think I'm ready?"

"I'd say you've nailed my choreography," I pulled into the parking lot, "Let's see how you do on the ice."

"YAY!"

Since the day Victor and I adopted the boys, I had never seen Yurio so animated. It warmed my heart to no end to see my usually quiet, reserved, slightly bitter, little angel get so excited about something. I was waiting for Yurio to start doing cartwheels. As soon as I had him unstrapped from his car seat, he sprinted toward the door. Yurio grabbed a pair of skates in his size from behind the counter and started lacing them up all by himself. Once I had my own tied, Yurio stuck his foot in my face, waiting for me to tie his skate for him, too. Shaking in anticipation, he headed for the ice…a little too fast…and…

Thud…

Yurio ate the ice. I know it was a terrible thing to do, but I couldn't help but laugh as I skated onto the rink myself to pull him up, "There you go again, Yuri. Wanting to run before you crawl again. I know you're stoked, kid, but you need a little bit of patience. You have all the time in the world."

"Then, why were you laughing at me?" Yurio lost all of his confidence.

"Because it was funny," I settled him, "You will get there. I promise you that. The song I played the first time we were in here, I thought of you. The story reminded me of you. I may be the dragon, but you, Yuri…You are the warrior. I have no doubt you'll save the kingdom one day. The hordes and hordes of enemies you're going to fight through are those jumps you can't land. The spins you can't nail. The little fall you just took on the ice. But you're going to get through them. And you will save the kingdom."

"No, I won't," a little flame flickered in his eye, "I'll conquer kingdoms."

"That's my boy!" I spun him around, holding his hand tight, "This was more or less a little lesson in humility. Dancing on a solid surface and dancing on ice are two completely different things. I have no doubt you'll be able to do it one day, but not today. We'll try again tomorrow, but for now, we're going home."

"Ok, Mama," I untied Yurio's skates and got him back home. Five o'clock in the morning was not a fun time for me. But an upside of teaching Yurio, I forgot how much I loved doing this. In all honesty, I missed it. I retired when Victor and I got the boys and he retired a year later. And damn, I missed the Grand Prix circuit. Maybe if Yurio gets good enough, I could put him in the junior division, but now was bedtime.

"Good morning," Victor wrapped his arms around me, "How was practice?"

"Exhausting," I curled into him. If anyone understood what I was going through, it was Victor. He had been teaching Yuri during the day while I taught Yurio at night. He knew exactly what these practices were like.

"I'm sorry," he pulled the blankets over me, "Go to sleep, Violet. You earned it."

"Ok…" I sighed deliriously, already halfway there.

"By the way," Victor bit his bottom lip, "Chris called last night."

"That's nice, Victor," I gave him a pat.

"He'll be in town for the next week."

"Again," I yawned, "That's nice, Victor."

"And he'll be staying with us…"

"Wait," my eyes shot open, "What?"

 **A/N: Yay! We're going to have a visitor! And that means something a whole hell of a lot deeper than what you're thinking. I can't tell you quite yet, but you'll find out next week. I was going to wait a while, but why not? Let's bring Chris in! Now, could I ask you a little bit of a favor? I started posting an original to FictionPress called His Girl Friday Nights that I update every Friday. If you could give that a little bit of love, I'd really appreciate it.**

 **Also, if you're curious, the song Violet and Yurio were dancing to in this chapter? Marina and the Diamonds' Primadonna Girl. I've seen so much YOI crack since we've gone on hiatus and I always see people using Primadonna Girl for Yurio, so here we are! See you next chapter! xx**


	3. Uncle Chris is Coming to Town!

The sun shined through the glass on our balcony door right into my eyes. I see Victor didn't bother to shut the curtains when he got up. But I couldn't be too angry at him. The house was quiet and a note was left on the counter.

 _To my dearest Violet,_

 _Yuri and I have gone to the rink._

 _Chris should be there early this_

 _afternoon. I promise we won't_

 _be too long. Just practicing a_

 _couple jumps._

 _With love,_

 _Victor x_

Alright. I had some time to myself. Yurio was still in bed. Yuri was with Victor. What to do, what to do…Maybe a crossword? Some Sudoku? No. Puzzles didn't really do it for me. Maybe I could finally start on that novel I've been thinking about for years. I couldn't believe it. For the first time in ages, I was actually bored. It's not like I could do any housework. There was none to be done. With my teaching Yurio at night, Victor's taken on just about everything else, so I could get some sleep.

Then, it hit me! Yurio was getting good enough to where I could enter him in some competitions. He might even be good enough to qualify for juniors this year. I'm sure he could use a good costume. I grabbed a notebook out of the drawer in Victor's desk and got to work. I'm almost positive if I asked Yurio what routine he'd want to do, he'd say mine.

Somewhere in the back of the closet, I still had my old costume. But I wanted Yurio to be the warrior he is, not the dragon I was. So, how about some armor? Leather? I'm sure leather would be easier to skate in than metal armor. Brown leather. Maybe some scorch marks? Some charring from his dragon mother? Accidents happen. Or maybe from battle?

Knock, knock.

Gee. I wonder who that could possibly be. I got the door and on the other side was a tall, beautiful, Swiss man. So much for my quiet house and my quiet afternoon, "Violet! Mon chéri!"

"Chris!" I hugged him tight. I could be bitter and salty all I wanted to be. I did miss Chris. He and I met the same night I met Victor.

"It's so wonderful to see you again!" Chris sang.

"You, too," I settled him, "But could you keep it down? Yurio's still asleep."

"But it's two o'clock in the afternoon," he pointed out, "Why would little Yurio still be sleeping? Is it his naptime?"

"His bedtime," I corrected, sitting at the kitchen table, "Yurio's days and nights have been reversed lately."

"Oh?" Chris joined me, "Is there something wrong with him?"

"It's nothing bad," I explained, running my finger around the rim of my coffee cup, "I've been teaching him to skate. Yurio had a bad dream a few weeks ago and I brought him to the rink to settle down. He watched me do one of my old routines and wanted to give it a shot."

"Is he any good?"

"He's getting there," I praised, "Don't tell him, but Victor's been teaching Yuri, too. While Yurio's asleep, Yuri's at the rink."

"There's still tension with those two?" Chris winced, "After all this time, you'd think they'd be a little more civil."

"I don't get it either," I rested my head on the table top, "I just wish those two would get along and be brothers instead of rivals. Is that too much to ask?"

"One day," he promised, "Maybe one day, they'll get along. But for now, we wait it out."

"And it's not just Yuri that Yurio has a problem with," I went on, "It's Victor, too. He's making it too obvious that he plays favorites with the boys."

"Speaking of Victor," Chris scanned around our penthouse, "Where is he? It's been ages since I last seen him and I've been feeling it lately."

"He and Yuri should be back soon," I figured, "I'm guessing you're here for yours and Victor's regularly scheduled game of Twister?"

"Yep," he beamed, "Was I too obvious?"

"Mama…" the shuffling of little feet echoed through the hall, "Can I have some apple juice?"

"Sure, Yuri," I got up, "Duty calls."

"Yurio!" Chris squealed.

My poor baby froze in his tracks, "No…"

"Dear, sweet Yurio!" Chris scooped him up in his arms, holding Yurio tight. If I didn't know any better, I'd think Chris had actual hearts for eyes.

"Let me go!" Yurio screeched, doing his best to squirm out of the unwelcomed embrace, "When did Uncle Chris get here?"

"A little while ago," I took him back, sitting Yurio on my hip, "Chris, you really should go a little easier on him when he's just waking up."

"Apple juice?" Yurio snuggled into my shoulder.

"Of course, baby," I got into the fridge and grabbed the bottle while Yurio reached up for one of his sippy cups from the cabinet. The kid and I were a hell of a team.

"Where did Victor and Yuri go?" he looked around, "I didn't see them in Victor's office and they weren't in Yuri's room."

"They went out," I sat him on the counter, "They'll be back soon."

"Violet!" Speak of the devil. The door swung open and I could hear the heartbreaking sobs coming out of my other baby, "We're home! You wouldn't happen to know where the first aid kit is, would you?"

"Why?" Always a good way to start a conversation, Victor. But then, I saw why as Victor sat Yuri on the kitchen counter with blood gushing from his shins, "Yuri! Baby, what happened?"

"I fell," Yuri sobbed, "And it hurts, Mama…It hurts so bad."

"I know, honey. I know," I tried to get him to calm down a bit and grabbed the first aid kit from on top of the fridge. I dreaded the thought of cleaning his shins up, "Battle scars. We all have them. Daddy's got some on his shins, too. Mine are on my thigh."

"Victor…" Chris chimed in.

And I could see the light in my husband's eyes, "Christophe…"

"Boys," I refocused them, "Task at hand. Victor, will you get me some gauze pads?"

"Sure," Victor snapped out of his schoolgirl daydream haze.

"There's no way of churching this up, Yuri," I held his hand, "This is going to hurt, but only for a little bit, ok? Think you can tough it out for me?"

"I'll try," Yuri wiped the tears out of his eyes.

"That's my boy," I kissed his forehead.

"Is there anything I can do, Violet?" Chris wondered as Victor handed off the gauze pads to me.

"Take Yuri's hand," I braced myself, "Because this isn't going to be pretty. What did you fall on, Yuri? I don't see any gravel or any dirt."

"I fell on the ice," Yuri took Chris's hand, wincing tremendously.

"Ice…?" Yurio caught on, "But it's June. There is no ice."

"There is at the rink!" Yuri squealed while I put rubbing alcohol into his open wounds.

Without another word, Yurio bolted with an angry fire in his eyes. And if that didn't give it away enough, the slamming of his bedroom door would. I love my boys to death, but Yurio needed to control his hairline trigger temper better and Yuri needed to learn when to keep his mouth shut. Wonderful. Now, I had two babies to take care of.

"What just happened?" Victor asked, just as nervous as I was.

"Here," I threw him the roll of ace bandage, "You take care of Yuri. I'll go talk to Yurio."

"What if I go-"

"No," I stopped him, "Trust me. I'll go talk to him."

"Ok," Victor tended to Yuri's shins while I went to find my angry little kitten.

"Yuri," I knocked on his door.

"Go away!"

"Yuri," I sighed out, "Let me in."

"I don't want to!"

I'm sure he thought he locked the door, but I still opened it with ease, "Your door lock doesn't work, sweetheart."

"What do you want?" he pouted.

"Talk to me," I sat with him, "What's wrong?"

"Piggy can't let me have anything, can he?" Yurio growled, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"What do you mean?" I worried, pulling him closer.

"He took Victor from me," he snapped, "He took you away from me. And now, he's going to take skating from me, too! I can't have anything that's mine without Yuri trying to take it away!"

"What?" my heart shattered as my arms wrapped around him, "Yuri, you know better. He never took me from you. You always have me."

"Promise?" Yurio looked up at me with his eyes bloodshot.

"I promise," I squeezed him tight, "Why don't you go get your skates? We can go to the rink, too. Sound good?"

"Ok," he jumped down from his bed and ran to find his skates.

While Yurio was healthily distracted (because that boy never knew where he left his skates. I loved him to pieces, but he's lucky his head's attached.), I needed to have some words with his father. I walked back out to the living room and found Victor on the couch with Yuri on his hip. And Chris with Victor on his hip, "Victor…"

"Hey," he jumped up, "Is everything ok?"

"We need to talk," I bit my lip, "Come here."

"Chris," Victor asked, "Could you keep an eye on Yuri?"

"Of course," Chris brushed him off while Yuri resituated himself.

"Victor," I dragged him into the kitchen, "You need to spend more time with your son."

"My son?" Victor gave me a look, "I have been. Every day."

"Yurio, Victor!" I grumbled, "Yurio! You do have two of them! Before you and Chris have your Twister game, I want you to spend some long, quality time with Yurio."

"Ok," he nodded, "I can stand to do that."

"Is everything ok?" Chris joined us.

"We're going to have to hold off on Twister," Victor told him, "I love you, but the boys come first."

"That's fine," he let out a heavy sigh, "I've waited this long for Twister. I can wait a little longer."

"Good," I chirped, "Now, I'm going to take Yurio to the rink to get him to settle down. You two can manage to keep it together while I'm gone? You don't need adult supervision?"

"We are adult supervision," Victor promised, kissing my cheek, "Go ahead. We can catch up while you're gone."

"Ok," I leaned over the couch and found Yuri taking a nap. He's probably had a long practice and crying always took a lot out of him. My poor baby...

"I'm ready, Mama," Yurio came out with his skates on his shoulder.

"Let's go then."

 **A/N: I'm sorry. This wasn't intended to be up so late. I've been a little…let's just say off lately. And my dad, bless him, had me out of the house for a while today. Which was much needed, so I'm not even mad. I'm sure you guys could wait a bit, right? I mean, I've gotten the "Lumi, I'd drag my nuts through a mile of broken glass just to hear you fart through a walkie talkie" comments, so I'm guessing you'd be cool with that? Regardless, I must admit that in writing this particular chapter, I did get a little weepy when Yuri scraped his shins up. I'm just glad we weren't there to see it. Because cleaning them up and watching them happen would've rendered me in the fetal position. But on a positive note! We have Chris here! And next week's chapter is going to be from a different perspective. Violet did say that Victor and Yurio needed to spend some more quality time together, didn't she? And what better way of doing that than with a little story time with Victor and Uncle Chris to dear little Yurio? And it's going to make a lot of things make a lot more sense. So, I'll see you next chapter! xx**


	4. A Figure Skater Abroad: A Victor Story

**A/N: Hi, guys! A quick heads up. This chapter isn't going to be in the stock POV. We're going to do a little switchity doo here. I told you this last week. But it's all going to be from Victor's POV. In case you were lost. And I'm sorry this is up late. I've been out and about all day today and I made friends with a doggo! But I'm going to shut up now and we'll talk more later.**

"Victor," Violet came into my office with Yuri on one hand and Yurio on the other, "I'll be back in a little while."

"Where are you going?" I wondered. It wasn't often Violet left the house this early in the day.

"I'm taking Yuri to the rink," she said, "You stay and spend quality time with your son."

"What?" Yurio squealed, "I thought we were going together!"

"Sorry, baby," Violet sat him on her hip, "I'm only taking Yuri. You're going to stay with Victor while we get some practice in."

"But Mama…"

"No buts," she stopped him, setting Yurio back on his feet, "We'll only be gone for a while. I'm sure you'll live."

"Fine," Yurio fumed, sitting on the futon.

"Victor," Violet stuck her finger in my face, "Spend some time with him. You have two sons, not just one."

"I know," I pulled her down for a kiss. Although, I could feel jealousy from Chris burning through me. I'm sure we could use that later for our ongoing Twister match. Soon enough, "I will. Go train Yuri."

"My pleasure."

"Bye, Daddy," Yuri jumped into my lap.

"Bye, Yuri," I cuddled him, sending him off with his mother. And so began a few minute long uncomfortable silence between Yurio and me.

"Make me a sandwich," Yurio demanded.

"You just ate, Yurio," I pointed out, "Mama made breakfast an hour ago. There's no way you're hungry."

"Make me a sandwich," he repeated.

"No, Yurio."

"Uncle Chris," Yurio ignored me, "Make me a sandwich."

"Yurio," I shook my head, "You're not getting a sandwich."

"What good are you then?"

"Tell you what," I sat the little ball of unnecessary anger on my lap, "How about instead of making you a sandwich, I tell you a story?"

"How will a story feed me?"

"It's the story of a figure skater abroad," I went on.

"Why?"

"You ask Mama all the time how I ended up with her," I reminded him, "Now I can tell you!"

"I don't think you understand what I was trying to…"

"Chris, you remember that day, don't you?" I gave him a nudge, "You were there."

"Oh yeah," Chris nodded, "I remember."

"Hold on tight, Yurio," I beamed, "Because we're about to embark on a flashback."

"What are you talking about?" Yurio snapped.

It was a few years ago after the Grand Prix Final in Montreal. Drained from the even, Chris and I decided to take a trip. We had earned it. With the long months of practice and all of our successes at the preliminary rounds. After everything had wound down, the two of us were sitting at our table at the post season banquet.

"Congratulations, Victor," JJ came up to us. _I don't like him, Victor. He deserves a punch in the teeth._ Patience, Yurio, "Not surprised you're taking home gold again. The second year in a row."

"Thanks, JJ," I played humble, "All it takes is a little practice."

"It would've been nice to take home gold on my debut," he shrugged, "But, oh well. You know, if you're looking to unwind, there's a burlesque show in New York City. It's the best in the world. You have to see it while you're on this continent."

"Maybe we should," Chris thought it over, "Sounds like it could be fun."

"Yeah," I agreed, "I could go for a good burlesque show."

I hadn't seen one since the last time I was in France for semifinals. Why not? It was quite the art form. JJ's face lit up, "Lucky you! One of the dancers is absolutely fantastic. And gorgeous! You need to keep an eye out for her. She's the one with the little waist and the not so little chest."

 _Victor, not in front of Yurio._ That probably was a little too far. Anyway! So, Chris and I jump the border to New York City and looked for the burlesque show JJ was talking about. And you need to understand, Yurio. A burlesque show isn't exactly for young children, so don't bother asking Mama to teach you that routine.

 _Get on with it!_

So, we get to this club. A small, intimate venue. Dark when we were shown to our seats. Beautiful place, though. I think it was originally a speakeasy during the prohibition era in America. But then, the lights on the stage came up a bit and the MC came out.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he called out, pulling the curtain along with him, "Welcome to the Moulin Rouge."

I knew better. I've been to the Moulin Rouge. This was merely a watered down version. You see, Yurio, a long time ago, a movie came out called Moulin Rouge and these four women who were rather popular at the time covered a song from even longer ago called Lady Marmalade. It was about a man who meets this lovely young lady looking for temporary companionship. But while every other man in the room was looking at the three beautiful women half naked in the front of the stage, I couldn't take my eyes off the one in the back.

 _Was that Mama?_

Please, Yurio. I'm trying to tell the story. You're getting ahead. Stay out of my internal narration.

This one woman had me more mesmerized than any of the other dancers. Every move she made as like a brushstroke on a canvas. She was like a siren, but such a shame that hardly anyone was paying attention to her. Little did I know, the sweet little angel with the skill, talent, and grace of a prima ballerina who had been perfecting her craft since she could stand would shed her innocence for something a bit more risqué. She traded soft pink for a deep blood red and a dazzling gold as she took center stage.

And she took complete control over the other girls with such an effortless confidence. They became her personal dancers with their only mission in life to please her and gain her approval. She had become the ringleader of this show and I had to do everything in my power to meet her.

"Excuse me," the MC stopped Chris and me, "Are you Victor Nikiforov?"

"Yes, I am," I nodded, "Why?"

"I am a big fan!" he squealed, "Congratulations on your Grand Prix Final win!"

"Thank you very much," I used his excitement to my advantage, "Do you think you could get us backstage to meet the girls?"

"Easy!" he obliged, "Come here!"

"You know," Chris took my hand, "That's a little underhanded for you, Victor."

"What?" I shrugged, "He's a fan of mine. I wanted to test his loyalty."

The three of us ended up backstage in the dressing room with all of the lovely ladies that were onstage this evening. And there she was. She had just changed back into her normal clothes and was peeling her eyelashes off. _Mama's eyelashes aren't real?_ Those particular ones weren't. Ask your mother about them because I have no clue. And what did I say about interrupting my internal monologue, Yurio? _You don't have a problem when I do it._ Actually, Chris, I do. I'm just polite about it.

"Excuse me," I tapped on her shoulder, "You were wonderful tonight."

"Thanks," she smiled sweetly, blushing a bit. Unless she had yet to take her makeup off.

"Really," I was a little tongue tied in her presence. In my defense, she was quite beautiful that night, "Your form is flawless."

"You're the first one to come in here and tell me that," she said with a bitter sarcasm and an eye roll, "Look, boys. Just leave your hotel key on the table. I'll get to you when I get to you."

"What?" I gave her a look, "I'm sorry. I think there might be something getting lost in translation here."

"You're probably just like every other guy that comes back here," she let out a heavy sigh, "Telling me my 'form' is flawless. Please. You're just looking for some-"

 _Victor! Not in front of Yurio. He is too young for the talk yet._

 _What talk?_

You're right, Chris. Not quite time for that. So, we put a censor bar over it, yes? _Seems fitting._

"No," I assured her, "Not that form. Your dancing. It was sublime."

Her entire body froze in place. And I wanted to freeze our moment in time together. And that face. She didn't know if she wanted to fall into my arms or strangle me. But she stood there completely dumbfounded, "I'm Violet."

"Victor…" And it was love from there. Minus a few other parts that we'll save for later.

"That's it?" Yurio pouted, "That's all? You're just going to leave me with that kind of cliffhanger?"

"Another day, Yurio," I put him down.

"But…"

"Victor! Yurio!" a sweet, angelic voice called out, "We're home!"

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Yuri practically tackled me.

"Yuri!" I squeezed my son tight.

"So?" Violet came around the corner, "Quality time?"

"Of course," I promised, "And Chris can vouch for me."

"It's true," Chris assured, "I was here."

"Alright," she let it go, "Come on, Yurio. Your turn."

"My turn?" Yurio looked at her strange, "What do you mean?"

"You want to go to the rink with me?" Violet grinned, anticipating Yurio's answer.

"Yay!" Yurio sprinted out the door of my office and scoured the house for his skates.

"If I didn't know any better, dorogoy," I pulled her to me, "I'd think you were avoiding me."

"Like I could do that," Violet giggled so sweetly, "What am I going to do with you, Victor?"

"Tell me you love me and you'll never leave me?"

"I do love you," she rolled her eyes, "And I don't plan on leaving any time soon. Except with Yurio. I think he's half way to Natalia's studio by now."

"Go," I kissed her cheek, "I love you."

"Love you, too," Violet kissed me a little more properly, then Chris, too, "And you, too, Chris. Because heaven forbid you're left out."

"Cover Yuri's little ears," a dirty smirk appeared on his face while Violet took his warning, "Violet, you'd be the only woman I'd allow into our games of Twister."

"Honored," she bowed out, "But as of right now, I have a date with a little boy and an ice rink. And I shouldn't keep him waiting."

"See you later, Violet!" I waved my little angel out the door, missing her already.

"You're lucky to have her, Victor," Chris admitted, "I don't think I could've picked anyone better."

Yes…To have someone like Violet in my life. So patient, so caring, so understanding of our situation…? I was very lucky.

 **A/N: This wasn't supposed to be up so late! Shame on me! Shame, shame, Lumi! *hides in a cave* But I thought I'd try a little something, something with this chapter. If you liked it, tell me. If you didn't, I'll never do another chapter like this again and we'll pretend this never happened. Also, if you have some things you need to see me do, you can tell me those, too. See you next chapter! xx**


	5. A New Opportunity

Even though I spent all day at the rink with Yuri and I was already exhausted, I couldn't turn Yurio down. Nothing a little energy drink wouldn't cure. I had to admit, Victor had done a hell of a job coaching Yuri. But Yurio had gotten so much better since we first stepped foot in here. His spins have gotten tighter. It's a rarity he over rotates. He's sticking his jumps. Yurio had definitely come a long way since he stumbled on the ice.

"Mama," Yurio slid over to me after finishing his first run of the night.

"What, Yuri?" I chirped, saving the footage on my phone.

"Do you think we could skate together?" he asked innocently, "Like the way you and Victor did?"

I had only shown Yurio some of our old tapes a couple times. There's no way he would've had any of the routines memorized, "Are you saying you want to try couples skating?"

"Please?" Yurio begged.

"I don't think so, baby," I shot him down, "You're not quite ready yet."

"Come on!" he whined, "Why not?"

"Couples skating and singles are completely different," I explained, "When you're skating by yourself, you only have one person to worry about. When you're doing pairs, though, you and your partner have to be in perfect sync. That's why Victor and I were so good at what we did. If you want we can try starting with ballroom dancing tomorrow."

"Fine," he let it go, "But why do I have to do ballroom dancing first?"

"You learned ballet for singles," I pointed out, "You'll have to learn ballroom for couples. But for now, I want you to do another set."

"Any requests?" Yurio stretched.

"Let's see," I ran through his repertoire of routines in my head. And I was feeling a little nostalgic, "How about you give me the Primadonna set?"

"Ok," Yurio skated out to the middle of the empty rink and waited for me to turn the music on. As Marina's voice bounced around the room, I got even worse. I should've been out there. I should have my skates on and I should be on the ice. I hadn't even danced in so long. Teaching Yurio has been both a friendly and a not so friendly reminder of who I am. Who I've been. But I also knew some of the darker sides of the sport.

But I wasn't going to let my past distract me from watching my son pull off the most flawless routine I've ever seen him do. Yurio has ran the Primadonna routine a million and one times over, but everything was so…perfect. So clean. I got so preoccupied with how well Yuri did earlier today and how I knew it was because of Victor's coaching, but even Yuri's routine wasn't as good as this. To think, this song was initially intended as a warm up. This was never supposed to become a routine. But it worked for him.

"A lot of fire in that boy," a man's voice rumbled behind me.

"Yeah," I nodded, a little nervous about turning around. Hold on. I've heard that voice before, "You're Yakov, right? Victor's coach."

" _Da,"_ he confirmed, "Pain in the ass, but talent for days. Violet, yes? The little American girl."

"That's right. What brings you here?"

"The lights were on," Yakov explained himself, "Only one person has a key to this place aside from the owner and would be here this early in the morning. I thought I would find Victor here. Instead, I find this."

"What do you think?" I asked.

Yakov studied Yurio's every move, "I like what I see. Is he competing?"

"Not yet," I shook my head.

"Let me coach him," he offered, "I sense greatness in him. With the right push, he could beat some of Victor's records. It wouldn't surprise me if he were to bring home some gold hardware either."

"What?" I felt a pit open in my stomach, "I don't know, Yakov. I'm not sure how to feel about that."

"Who is his coach now?"

"I am."

"Really?" he gasped a little, "You've done an excellent job, Violet, but please. You've seen what I've done with Victor. Although, he never really listened to me. I'll give you some time to think about it."

"But, Yakov…"

"I'll be back in a week for your decision!" Yakov waved behind him and left Yurio and me alone in the rink.

"Mama," he skated up to me, "Who was that?"

"Victor's old coach," I sighed out, "And he wants to coach you."

"But," Yurio's eyes filled with fear and anxiety, "You coach me. You're not leaving me, are you?"

"Of course I'm not," I promised, holding his hand, "But the thing about Yakov. He's a seasoned coach, Yuri. He's been to many a Grand Prix Final. He could probably get you there."

"But I don't want him to get me there!" his voice broke…along with my heart, "I want you to get me there!"

"Relax, baby," I settled him, "I'm not going anywhere. It's just something to think about. Now, come on. Take your skates off. We're going home."

"Ok…" As soon as Yurio's skates were off his feet, he latched onto my side, "Don't ever leave me, Mama. I don't want a new coach."

"I won't," I promised, "Even if Yakov were to become your coach, I'd still be there."

Yurio's worry and Yakov's offer weighed heavy on my mind and my heart. I know he'd be better off without me. Granted, I was a great skater at one time, but I've never been a coach. Yakov knew what he was doing. Hell, he managed someone like Victor all those years. And as far as skaters go, Yurio was awfully obedient. Then again, whether he wanted to admit it or not, he didn't take criticism well. Yakov could be brutal.

But maybe I'm asking the wrong person. And I happened to sleep with the last person Yakov ever coached on a nightly basis. Maybe I needed to have a little talk with my husband. There wasn't a tie on the door, so it was safe to come in. I wouldn't walk in on Victor and Chris playing Twister. After I tucked Yurio in, I crawled into bed with Victor. A little surprised Chris wasn't in here, but at this point, it was greatly appreciated.

"Good morning," Victor kissed the top of my head.

"Morning," I moaned into his chest, "You'll never guess who I just ran into."

"Who?" his arms tightened around me.

"Yakov."

"Yakov?" Victor gave me a look, "My Yakov?"

"The one and only," I nodded, "He wants Yurio."

"Oh?" I had his interest, "And? What are we thinking?"

"I don't know," I nuzzled my face into his ribcage, "I really don't. Yurio doesn't want to go with him. He doesn't want me to leave him."

"From one skater to another," Victor cradled me, "Do you want my opinion?"

"He's your son, too," I allowed, "What is it?"

"I think you should let him," he said, "Let Yakov take Yurio for a while."

"Really?"

"He's the best coach I ever had," Victor explained, "And he's a damn good coach. I say let him. I love you, Violet. And if you've done a good enough job with Yurio to catch Yakov's attention, Yakov can only push him further."

"I'm still not sure," I let out a heavy sigh, "I'll talk it over with Yurio some more and let him decide."

"On an unrelated note," Victor always was the scatterbrained one between us, "When you wake up, do you think we could go somewhere? As a family?"

"Where did you have in mind?" I wondered, about ready to completely fall asleep.

"I was thinking an animal shelter."

 **A/N: I'm sorry this chapter's so short, but I promise! I pinky promise! Next week's will be a little longer. Unfortunately, I had to rush the ending. I have a thing to go do here in a bit. But next week's chapter? Next week's chapter is going to be…Well, you'll see. Now, we've also introduced Yakov in this week's chapter. Which begs the question. Will Yurio go to Yakov or will Yurio stay with his mama? Decisions, decisions…See you next chapter! xx**


	6. Plus One

**A/N: I'm so sorry this is up late. I'm actually a tad not feeling too terribly hot and I've been out and about all day, so if this chapter is either up at nine o'clock again or it sucks something awful, I apologize in advance. But it's going to be an adorable chapter, so…K, bye.**

"Violet," a soft, Russian accent whispered in my ear and even softer kisses pressed against my cheek, "Wake up, my love."

I rolled into my husband's arms, ready to fall back asleep, "What time is it?"

"Shortly after noon," Victor pushed my hair out of my face.

"Is Yurio up yet?" I nuzzled my face in his chest, holding back a yawn. Practice with Yurio wore me out more than usual. He was wanting to learn more elaborate moves and I hadn't done any of them in years.

"Not yet," he reported, "I thought I'd come wake you up first. Then, you can wake Yurio."

"Why can't you do that?" I rubbed my eyes.

"Yurio and mornings don't work well," Victor pointed out, "You know that, Violet. And he bites."

"Unbelievable," I giggled. This is who you married, Violet. This was the man you said yes to. You could've had the hot stockbroker with the yacht, but you went with Victor instead.

"If I remember correctly," Genius held me a little tighter, "You said we could go out today, the five of us."

"Your memory's spotty, Victor," I corrected, "Because I remember you saying we could do that after I woke up. Nowhere in that fine print did it say you were going to be the one to wake me up."

"Are you saying you didn't like my wake up?" Victor kissed my forehead, "Because the color in your cheeks says otherwise."

"I could think of worse ways for it to happen," I laid my head on his chest, "But you're missing the point. You cheated the system."

"You never said I couldn't wake you up."

"I thought it'd be implied."

"But you still didn't say I couldn't," Victor grinned, proud of his loophole.

"I'll go wake up Yurio," I groaned, wiggling out of Victor's warm embrace.

"Thank you, Violet!" he let me go, "Davai! Let me know if his bite breaks the skin."

"He knows better," I rolled my eyes. A stockbroker...with a yacht...and a damn nice penthouse, if memory serves. But I pick the beautiful figure skater that fell in love with my talent and not just my body. I pick this scatterbrained idiot that I wouldn't trade for the world. After all, he did give me my boys, so I couldn't complain.

I sat down on Yurio's bed and cracked his window open, letting the sunlight shine behind his head, but not quite in his eyes. Sure, he could be a tad bitter a good majority of the time, especially with his brother and his father, but in this light, Yurio looked so peaceful. Almost Angelic. Granted, I knew about the fire burning deep inside him along with the chip on his shoulder. That's what made him the warrior in the story. But then, this beautiful duality rested within him. I hated to wake him up and interrupt that.

"Yuri," I pulled him into my lap, "It's time to wake up, baby. I know you don't want to, but we have plans for today."

"We can't put them off?" Yurio cuddled lethargically into my shoulder.

"I'm sorry," I sympathized, kissing the top of his head, "I didn't want to get up either. But here I am. This is why God created coffee."

"Coffee is disgusting, Mama."

"Blasphemy," I gasped, "Honestly, child. And you call yourself my son."

"I'm adopted," he reminded, starting to drift off again.

"But you're still my son," I jostled him a bit, "Like it or not, kid, you're stuck with me."

Yurio had successfully created a nest in my lap and was nearly sleeping again, "And me with you, right?"

"Always," I promised, "Now, you do have to get up. We're going on a slight trip today."

"Where are we going?" Yurio asked.

"It's a surprise."

"Ok," this poor child was still completely out of it. I could see it in his eyes.

"You can sleep on the way there," I assured.

"Good," Yurio jumped down from my lap and dug through his dresser. That I had meticulously organized. That he managed to tear apart. And make me cringe internally.

"And if you're up for it later," I shook it off, "You and I can go to the rink again."

"Yay!" There it was. There's what I was looking for.

"Thought that'd put a smile on your face," I beamed, "And maybe wake you up a little better. You need any help?"

"I got it." Between my boys, Yurio was always more independent than Yuri. It had been that way since the day we brought them home. Fortunately, that meant Mama could get dressed and go in the kitchen and get coffee. Just because Yurio wasn't into it didn't mean I wasn't.

What I really wasn't into was what I saw in my kitchen at my kitchen table. Thank God Yuri was in the living room. He didn't need to see this. Hell, I didn't need to see it either, "Jesus Christ, Chris. Put some damn pants on."

"Good morning to you, too, Violet," Chris had a dirty grin on his face and royal blue silk leaving little to the imagination, "These were from Valentine's Day last year. Vitya, you remember, no?"

"Yes, Headmaster," Victor smirked, shooting Chris a little wink.

"Victor!" I snapped, "You're supposed to be siding with me here."

"Sorry," he blushed, "I guess I'm caught between a rock and a hard place, aren't I?"

"Anyway," I grumbled, "Do the boys have any idea where we're going today?"

"Not a clue!" Victor sang out.

"Oh dear," I shook my head at him, "You're so beautifully absentminded, _moy muzh_ …And I love you for it."

"I love you, too," Victor gave me a quick kiss.

But our moment didn't last very long when another man latched onto my leg. This one a little smaller than the other, "Mama! You're awake!"

"Good morning, Yuri," I got down to his level, gladly accepting his hug.

"Can we go now, Daddy?" Yuri begged as I sat him on my hip, "Can we see our surprise trip?"

"Shut up, Porky," Yurio grumbled, coming out of his room fully dressed, "I just woke up."

"Yurio!" I scolded him, putting Yuri back on the floor, "That wasn't nice. Apologize to him."

"Fine," he pouted, "I'm sorry you were being obnoxious, Yuri."

"That's just as bad, Yurio."

"I'm sorry you bothered me?"

"Close enough," I let out a heavy, exasperated sigh, "You ready to go?"

" _Da_."

"Yay!" Yuri chirped, sounding just like Victor.

"We'll be in the car," Victor kissed the top of my head, "Come on, Yuri."

"I'm going to go put pants on," Chris got up from the table and I kept my hand over Yurio's eyes. Good thing Yuri didn't see anything.

"Yuri," I grabbed the bottle of apple juice out of the fridge, "You want some while I'm pouring?"

"Yes please."

I got Yurio's apple juice and took him to the car. Half a cup in and the kid was asleep. Not surprised, though. He's been pushing himself harder and harder every practice. And the more he pushed himself, the stronger the warrior had become. The more prominent he became. The sweet little kitten Yurio was when he and I walked into Natalia's studio the first time was slowly becoming a fierce little tiger. And I couldn't be prouder. I just wish he'd realize the kind of energy that takes.

As we pulled up to the animal shelter, I wasn't sure who was more excited between Yuri and Victor. Chris was too busy putting hat stickers on pictures he took of sleeping Yurio on his phone. I had the honor and privilege of waking the little angel up again. And when Chris is sleeping later tonight, I'm going to do some deleting.

"Yurio," I gave him a nudge, "Yurio, we're here."

"Five more minutes, Mama."

"Are you sure?" I smiled, turning my attention to Victor, "You, Chris, and Yuri go ahead. We'll be there in a sec."

"Ok," Victor gave me a nod while Chris unbuckled Yuri from his car seat. I didn't know that kid could move so fast.

"Yuri," I shook his little foot, "Wake up, sweetheart. You want to see the surprise, don't you?"

"Yeah…" Yurio opened his eyes and saw the sign, "Are we…?"

"That's right, baby," I undid his buckles for him, "We're bringing home a furry friend for the family today. We just have to go in and pick which one."

"Ok!" Yurio's enthusiasm spiked and he ran inside with the same excitement as his brother.

Sure enough, when the two of us caught up to the others, Yuri was rolling around with a pile of puppies. That was the way I wanted to die. At least I know I'd die happy. And they were all so cute! In a perfect world, they'd all be coming home with us.

"You two are going to have to come to an agreement," Victor stipulated, "Because we're only taking one home."

"One?" Yuri and Yurio squealed simultaneously.

"Victor," I wrapped myself around his arm, "That's almost cruel."

"We can't do all of them," he pointed out, "I'm sorry. We're only allowed one in our unit."

"Damn," I pouted. I wanted all the puppies, too, boys. I really did. Mama would've sided with you.

And so, our afternoon of playing with puppies ensued. Although, amongst the chaos of all the other puppies, I noticed one of ours had wandered off. I left Chris and Victor to watch after Yuri and play with more puppies while I went off to find Yurio. When I found him, Yurio was covered from his feet to his shoulders with tiny kittens scaling him all over the place.

"Look, Mama," he held a little orange one up to me, "This one looks like a little tiger."

"Yeah, he does," I held the sweet little kitty in the palms of my hands, "When did you bow out?"

"All of the mutts were too much," Yurio scoffed, "They're all dumb as a stump. Cats are so much simpler."

I saw the way Yurio was with this kitten and I didn't want to take him away from it. And it was so cute! I didn't want to leave him either. But unfortunately, Yuri's allergic to cats, so the thought of getting a cat was entirely off the table. I just didn't know how to break it to Yurio. In the ten minutes he had been back here, this kitten had already imprinted on him.

"Yuri," I pulled him onto his feet, "We can't get a cat. It'd make one of us sick."

"How does that work?" Yurio gave me a look.

"One of us is allergic to cats," I explained, "But I'm sure if we go back to all the puppies, we can find one to fall in love with."

"But…"

"Promise me you'll at least try to love it," I begged.

Yurio thought it over a minute or two, "I'll try. But I'm not making any promises that I will."

"Ok," I brought him back over to Victor, Chris, and Yuri and my heart melted. This…This was the way things were meant to be. I saw the look in Victor's eyes when he looked over at Chris. He gave me the same one. And Chris with Yuri was a sight to behold. Granted, in Russia, they weren't exactly the image of a family, but under our roof, we were. All of us.

"Look at this one," Victor found a little ball of ginger fluff curled up in the corner, "Come here, little one."

"That one," one of the handlers came out, "That particular puppy was the runt of his litter."

"He's a poodle, right?" Victor picked him up.

"That's right," the handler confirmed.

"Poor baby," I took the trembling puppy out of Victor's hands, only for the puppy to try and run back to Victor.

"I love him already!" Victor awed.

"So do I!" Yuri chimed in, "I want that one, Daddy!"

"Is he the one, Yuri?" Victor asked.

"Yeah!"

"Yurio?" he repeated, "What do you think?"

"Why would I want a dog, let alone the runt?" Yurio grumbled.

"I don't know," I swayed him, petting the little cutie, "I'm sure all the other dogs gang up on him because he's the smallest. And he doesn't want to be left all alone. Where have I heard this story before?"

"Hitting a little close to home, Mama," he caved, "Fine. Whatever."

"This one!" Victor declared, "And we'll call him…Makkachin! You like that, don't you?"

I watched our new puppy's tail go like a boat propeller. I think he liked the name. And he was so cute! I couldn't see why no one would want to take him home. Makkachin. I liked it. And we all would love him terribly. Well…Almost all of us.

"I don't like him," Yurio glared a hole through the little ball of fluff and love, "He looks braindead. Like the lights are on, but no one is home."

"Actually," I told him, "Poodles are very smart dogs. You'll learn to love him, Yurio. I promise."

As the six of us got back into the car, Yurio went back to sleep in his car seat. And Yuri wasn't too far behind him. However, we let Makkachin run loose in the car, but the only place he wanted to be was curled up in Yurio's lap. Yeah. Yurio will learn to love him. With enough time. If not, I can always take him back here to see his little tiger cub.

 **A/N: Again, I'm so so SOOOO sorry this is up late. Like I said, it's been a long, rough day.**

 **But all that aside! We got us a Makkachin! Ever wonder why I had yet to mention our favorite little steamed bun thief yet? Because THIS IS WHY. Because they were going to go pick him out together! Yay! Fun, fluffy, domestic-y goodness! Now, as much as I'd love to hang out with you guys some more, I have Supernatural post-its to write for tomorrow. See you next level! Ahem…Oops…Let's try that again…Damn, I miss those boys. See you next chapter! xx**


	7. I Don't Want to Miss a Thing

Ah...Home sweet home. All that napping in the car cave Yurio a newfound fire. With all his extra energy he managed to produce naturally, Mama had to find it synthetically. If Victor wouldn't have woken me up, I'd be a little better off. However, that wasn't the case and I need to slam some Monster first.

"Alright, Yuri," I tied his skates, "What do you want to try tonight?"

"I want to try one of yours and Victor's routines," he demanded with such determination.

"Well," I thought it over, "You have been working awfully hard. And I didn't expect to see you pick up ballroom dancing so quickly."

"Please, Mama," Yurio begged, "I'm ready. I just know it."

"How about this?" I suggested, "I'll teach you a new singles routine."

"But...!"

"But," I scolded him lightly for cutting me off, "I will skate it with you. That way, you can get the feel of sharing the ice with someone. Because you've always skated alone, baby. It's a different monster when there's someone else there."

"Fine," he agreed, "We can do that."

"Fantastic," I queued up a song from an old routine Victor and I used to do in practice all the time, "When we're on the ice together, the goal is to not run into me, stay in sync, and try to keep up."

"Show me the routine first," Yurio leaned over the railing.

"Ok," I pushed the play button on the remote and the soft orchestral intro of Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" echoed through the room. This routine would've been a hell of a lot easier if I had Victor here to help me through the jumps, but I'd have to muddle through. Yurio was too little to stand in for him. I guess I'd have to make it a singles routine on the spot.

When Victor and I got married, this was the song we ended our couples career on. We had gone to the courthouse earlier that afternoon (A simple ceremony. One would've expected actual diva Victor Nikiforov to have such a big spectacle of a wedding, but I told him no. And if that didn't piss my parents off. Then again, they didn't know I was even engaged until I came home with Victor on my hip. But on the day we decided to get married, we had a competition.) and our final routine was to "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing". Still to this day, we consider that to be our first dance and it's been our song ever since.

Now, every time I skated to it, I couldn't help but think of him. I knew Victor didn't love me the same way I loved him. But we had a different kind of love. Something less physical and less passionate, but more unconditional. Like marrying a best friend, but those feelings never evolve past friendship. And we were both ok with that. Because I knew who he had the physical, passionate feelings for. And that's why Uncle Chris comes over once every month or so for games of Twister.

However, just when I think there was no one else I could love like Victor, a couple of little angels were dropped into our lives. That I couldn't help but love unconditionally. I knew we should've play favorites, but I had a softer spot in my heart for Yurio than what I did Yuri. Yurio and I had a few things in common other than our last name. As much as I love Victor, he's casted both of us aside for someone else. Yurio for Yuri and me for Chris. But I knew he still loved the two of us terribly. Just had a different way of showing it.

As the song came to a close, I skated over to the railing and grabbed my Monster can, downing the rest of it. I forgot how involved that routine was, "Well? Care to give it a try?"

"I don't know, Mama," Yurio backed off, "It looks awfully complicated."

"You can do it," I promised, "I know you can. Come on. I'm going to show you how to do this right."

"What do you mean?" I took his hand and started the music over.

"This is when you'd greet your audience," I explained, skating out to the middle of the rink with him, "This is the part when you get their attention. The key to winning gold isn't always the complexity or how elaborate your routine is, but this moment here. Win over the crowd, you'll win over the judges. Make them love you before you even start your routine. And with your cute, little face, it'll be impossible for them not to."

"You have to say that," Yurio giggled a little, "You're my mother."

"What do you think made me pick you?" I retaliated, pinching his little cheek, "That cute, little face of yours."

"Mama!"

"I'm sorry," I smiled, "Now...Before the lyrics start. Deep inhale...and begin."

And we started the routine all over again. But this time, it was different. I wasn't just showing Yurio how to do it anymore. Showing him how to do it for competition brought back a lot of feelings. An intense nostalgia wrapped itself around my throat, strangling me to the point of tunnel vision. But seeing Yurio doing it so flawlessly...And only after seeing it done once. Truly a sight to behold. He had gotten lost in it, too. And that's what made a great skater.

Once the song came to an end yet again, my eyes had sprung a leak. Not surprised, though. I missed this so much. The lights, the ice, the elaborate routines. This was where I was meant to be. But then again, I couldn't leave my boys. Any of them. No matter how much it hurt to hold on.

"Mama," Yurio took my hand again, "Why are you crying?"

"It's nothing, baby," I wiped my eyes, "Don't worry about it. Just got a little emotional. I'm ok."

"That was a very clean routine, Violet," a voice boomed from the shadows, "Although, both of you, your last jump was a little sloppy on the landing."

"Thank you, Yakov," I smiled, bringing Yurio to the railing with me.

"I forgot you skated, too," Yakov shot glances over to Yurio, "So? Is your pupil going to train under me now?"

"Yes," I nodded, "With conditions."

"But..." Yurio squeaked.

"Yuri," I hushed him, "I'm at every practice. Every performance. Every competition. I'm there."

"Why?" Yakov scoffed, "It's not like he'll need you. He'll already have a coach."

"Yuri gets the occasional separation anxiety," I defended, "You want a good skater? You want your new champion? I stick around. Like it or not, he and I are a package deal, Yakov. If you want him, you're getting me, too. Not to coach me, but for me to continue coaching Yuri alongside you."

"Hmm..." he thought it over for a minute or two, "Alright."

"Yuri?" I looked down at him, "Thoughts? This is ultimately your decision."

"You're not leaving?" Yurio spoke softly.

"Of course not," I assured, "I promised you that I wouldn't."

"Good..." Completely out of nowhere, Yurio attack hugged my leg, not letting go any time soon.

"Wow, Violet," Yakov grunted, "It's almost as if you were his own mother."

"I am his mother," I confirmed, "Last time I checked."

"He's your son?"

"Victor's, too," I told, feeling Yurio tense up and cringe at the fact.

"What's your last name, Violet?" Yakov wondered.

"Currently?" I smirked, "Nikiforov. Used to be Plisetsky before Victor and I got married."

"Now, I remember you," the tumblers fell into place in his head, "What happened? You're a highly gifted skater, Violet. Why did you stop?"

"Him," I gave Yurio a little nudge, "And his older brother. I had two babies at home to take care of while Victor skated his last season."

"It's a shame," Yakov sighed out, "So much wasted talent. If you ever want to return to the circuit, Violet..."

"No," I turned him down, "That's done and over with. I couldn't do that anymore."

"Really?" he smirked, "Because from what I saw, you haven't lost a single step."

"That may be," I shut him up, "But I'm not going back to the circuit."

"Alright," Yakov let it go, "When do you usually begin your practices?"

"When this rink closes for the day."

"Nine o'clock tomorrow morning," he put his foot down, "You will be here. At the very least, he will."

"We can't do that," I rebuttled, "The following morning would be better. Yuri's sleep schedule is a little backwards lately. We'll need a day to get it back on track."

"Fine," Yakov allowed, starting to make his way out, "I will see you then."

I sat Yurio on the bench, took his skates off, and brought him home. It was getting late and I needed sleep just as much as the baby did. As I tucked Yurio in bed, doing my best not to wake anyone else, he curled into my side and rested his head on my hip. Usually he only did this when he was either just waking up or he was sick.

"Mama," Yurio let out a tiny yawn, "I don't know about Yakov."

"Look, baby," I set him down, pulling his quilt over him, "Give him a shot. Yakov is a very good coach. I bet you'll get to the Junior Grand Prix Final this year."

"You think so?"

"If you want," I pushed the hair out of his face, "I'll choreograph your routine. That'll be one of those surefire ways of bringing home gold."

"Ok," he snuggled down into his bed.

"Now, go to sleep," I kissed his forehead, "I'll get you up in a few hours."

"Why?" Yurio whined, "Why can't I sleep like I normally do?"

"Because," I reminded him, "In order for you to start training with Yakov, we need to get you on a human sleep schedule again. No more days are nights and nights are days."

"Fine..."

"Good night, Yuri," I blew him a kiss, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

I killed the light in Yurio's bedroom and walked across the hall. After the long, strenuous practice I had just done with him, a long, hot bath sounded like an excellent idea, but given the circumstances of said practice, I just wanted to crawl in bed with my husband. For however long we'd have left. Victor would probably be waking up soon anyway. But I just wanted to fall asleep in his arms.

When I went to get in bed with Victor, I noticed something off. Something more off than usual. Chris was laying in my spot with Victor's head on his chest. What the hell...? At least he had pants on, so there was no Twister going on. Whatever. At this point, I was too damn tired to care. Go ahead, Chris. Sleep in my spot. With my husband.

I grabbed a throw out of our closet and went to crash on the couch instead. I would've taken the guest room, but I knew who had been sleeping in there. I didn't want to think about what he did in there alone. Cringe. As I laid down on the couch and turned the TV on for some background noise, Makkachin jumped up next to me and nuzzled into my shoulder.

That was the thing about this particular poodle. He knew when he was needed. He truly was a friend. I gave him a little belly rub and shut my eyes. I wasn't going to want to wake up in a few hours to wake up Yurio and I'd stab a man multiple times to get a solid twelve hours of sleep, but it had to be done. I had to do it for him.

 **A/N: Ending it on a little bit of a melancholy note. But on the plus side, I'm getting better at this whole updating at a human hour! Good for me! Also, Makkachin is friend shaped. And so, Yurio's going to be training under Yakov after all. I do like how Violet basically, for lack of a better word, told Yakov where the bear shits in the woods. She's American. She's a little scrappy. And Yurio's a little scrappy, too. Must be something in the name. You don't mess with Mama's baby. See you next chapter! xx**


	8. Time for Twister

"Violet," Victor whispered, shaking me a little, "Wake up, sweetheart."

"What?" I opened my eyes, feeling every ache in my body. Every old ice skating injury. My hips were killing me. Always did when I slept on the couch. I could hear my old physical therapist bitching at me in the back of my head.

"What are you doing out here?" he pulled me into his lap.

"My spot in our bed was occupied," I yawned, "And the thought of sleeping in the guest room horrified the hell out of me."

"Oh," Victor couldn't look at me, "Chris...Is that what this is about?"

"Yeah," I cuddled into his ribs, "I could've used some of this last night."

"I'm sorry, Violet," he cradled me, "Chris wasn't even there when I woke up, if it's any consolation."

"Victor," I had something weighing heavily on my mind for quite some time now, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Ask away," Victor twisted a lock of my hair in his fingers, "What's on your mind?"

"Do you..." I let out a heavy sigh, "Do you ever regret marrying me?"

The hurt in my husband's eyes broke my heart as his embrace tightened around me, "Of course I don't. I could never regret marrying you, Violet. If it weren't for you, Chris and I never would've gotten Yuri and Yurio. We can never repay you for all you've done for us."

"I know," I had to admit, I was a little relieved, "And you know that I can live without constant sex. That's why we work so well together."

"I do love you, though, Violet," Victor promised, "More than you will ever know. I swear that much to you."

"I love you, too," I nuzzled my face in his ribs, "By the way, Victor..."

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I think today's going to be one of those days," I smiled, "Where I go and treat myself. And the boys are looking a little stir crazy, so when I leave, I'll just take them to daycare. Looks like it's going to be an empty house for the day. Just you and Chris at home, if that's alright."

Without another word, Victor hugged me tighter than he ever has before, "Thank you, Violet. I don't think I could do this with any other woman. No other woman would be as understanding."

"I love you, too," I kissed his cheek, "Now, go find your boyfriend. Do whatever kind of Twister you and Chris have planned for the day."

"Again," Victor gushed, "Thank you, Violet."

"You're welcome," I rested my head on his shoulder, "I have to wake Yurio up."

"And I have to wake Yuri," Victor felt my pain.

"No," I kept him down, "I got this. I'll go wake the boys up."

"It's like I made you in a laboratory," he slipped me a quick kiss, "And I really don't deserve you."

"Yes, you do," I assured, "Just know I passed up the hot stockbroker with the personality of a cardboard box and a yacht for you."

"Was he the one," Victor thought it over, "with the jawline to die for and the really nice ass?"

"The very same."

"I liked him," he sighed out, "He was nice. But you're right. Personality of a cardboard box."

"Pray for me," I got off the couch and headed to Yurio's room first. I knew he'd be the hard one. Might as well rip the bandage off. I took my usual seat at the edge of his bed and he lethargically pulled himself into my chest, "Yuri...You have to wake up, baby."

"No, I don't," he cuddled, "I don't have to wake up."

"Yes, you do," I kissed the top of his head.

"No, I don't," he grumbled, "Yakov can wait."

"We're not seeing Yakov until tomorrow," I reminded him, "You got the day off. You have to wake up, Yuri."

"I don't want to, Mama," Yurio let out a tiny yawn that made me melt like a popsicle, "I'm still sleepy."

"One of these days," I cradled my son in my arms, "I swear to you, Yuri. You're going to develop a taste for coffee."

"Doubtful," he rolled over, "It's hot water with beans in it. Where is the appeal?"

"You'll learn," I let out a heavy, exasperated sigh, "One day. Maybe not today, but one day."

"It's bitter," Yurio started to come around.

"So are you, but I still love you," I teased.

"Mama," he pulled his blanket over his shoulders, "Let me go back to sleep."

"I can't do that," I jostled him a bit, "Come on. I have an appointment and I still need to get your brother up."

"I thought that was a Victor job."

"I can wake him up, too," I pushed the hair out of Yurio's face and kissed his little cheek, "I knew you'd be a fighter."

"Always am."

"That's right," I sat him up, "You're Mama's little warrior, aren't you? Who's my little dragonborn?"

"Me..."

"What was that?" I smiled, "That didn't sound like my dovahkiin. Who's my little dragonborn, Yuri?"

"I am!" I finally got him all fired up and awake, "And your dovahkiin wants some apple juice."

"I can get you some apple juice," I promised, "After I wake Yuri. That'll give you some time to wake up a little more."

"Ok," Yurio rubbed his eyes, "I guess that's fine."

"Good," I gave my little dragonborn one last kiss and went to wake his brother. Yurio was always an uphill battle when I woke him up. Yuri on the other hand? Yuri was a lot like Victor in that respect, "Good morning, Yuri."

"Good morning, Mama," Yuri sat on my lap, resting his head on my shoulder.

"Did you sleep ok?" I asked, reaching over to his dresser.

"Yeah," Yuri wrapped himself around my waist. Both my babies were awfully cuddly this morning, "Where's Daddy? Why isn't he waking me up?"

"Because," I bounced him on my knee, "Daddy went to go find Uncle Chris, so you and Yurio are with me for the day. Is that alright?"

"Are they going to play Twister again?" he wondered so innocently. We haven't really found the right time to have that talk with the boys yet.

"Yeah," I gave Yuri his glasses, "And because Mama has an appointment, you and Yurio are going to go to daycare for a while."

"Ok!" Yuri jumped down from his bed and took the small pile of clothes from me. He was such a little ball of sunshine in the morning. After the rough night I had, I needed that. As I went into the kitchen, Makkachin had been scratching at the door.

"You want to go out, don't you, baby?" I figured, "Victor!"

"Yes, Violet?" he called back from the bedroom. Good. He hadn't left yet.

"Will you take Makkachin out?" I asked, handing him the puppy's leash, "I have to take care of the people babies."

"Sure," Victor patted his legs, "Come here, Makkachin. You want out?"

The little ginger blob of fur bounced over to him. I didn't understand why Makkachin had such a love for Victor, but it's like those two were destined to be. Warmed my heart. When those two went outside, Yurio toddled out, still half asleep, and sat at the table. Dammit! I was supposed to get him apple juice!

"Here, baby," I gave him his sippy cup, "I'm sorry. I've been a little scatterbrained this morning."

"Victor," Chris walked through the front door with half a dozen red tulips, "Where are you?"

"He just left," I told him, "He had to take the dog to go potty."

"Aww," he pouted, putting the flowers on the counter, "I was hoping I'd catch him before he woke up."

"Whole house is awake, Chris," I was still kind of pissed at him for last night, but I'm sure I'd get over it. Eventually.

"Look, Violet," Chris wrapped his arms around my shoulders, "About last night. I'm sorry about stealing your spot. I had a bad nightmare and needed some sympathy."

"Don't worry about it, sweetie," I brushed him off, "It's not like you get to do that often."

"Only after Twister games," he winked.

"Yuri," I shooed him out, "Go drink your apple juice in the living room. Uncle Chris is getting vulgar."

"Fine," Yurio got down from his chair and jumped into the couch.

"You know," Chris suggested, "You could've just crawled in with us. Neither one of us would've minded."

"Yeah," I chuckled, getting a cup out of the upper cabinet, "That wouldn't be weird. Sharing a king sized bed and being sandwiched between my husband and his boyfriend."

"You're the only one we'd allow," he assured, "You know that."

"Thanks, Chris," I laid my head on his ribcage, "I appreciate the sentiment, but like I said. You don't get to do that often. I figured you two would want to be alone."

"Such a shame I'll be leaving soon," Chris sighed out, sitting at the table.

"When are you leaving?" I asked.

"Tomorrow morning," he winced, "I need a way to break it to Victor. He'll be crushed. We haven't even had the chance to have our regularly scheduled Twister game."

"Actually," I joined him at the table, "I'm taking the boys to daycare today and I'll be gone for a good portion of the day, so you and Victor are going to have the house to yourselves."

"Really?" a smile returned to his face.

"Yeah," I nodded, "If that's alright."

"You really do earn wife of the year, don't you, Violet?" Chris kissed my cheek.

"Hey," Victor came back in with Makkachin, "What are you doing, kissing all over my wife?"

"I'm sorry, Victor," Chris gave a quick kiss to Victor, too, "There? Is that all better?"

"Maybe," Victor tried the little fake pout, but it never lasted long.

"Now that we have that settled," I broke them up, "Boys! Come on! We're leaving!"

"Bye, Daddy," Yuri jumped up into Victor's arms.

And just like that, my boys and I were out the door. To no surprise, once we pulled into the parking lot of Yuri and Yurio's daycare, I got some opposition in the back seat. I knew this would happen. Every time. You know how Yurio's separation anxiety gets, Violet.

"What are we doing here?" Yurio pouted.

"Sorry, sweetheart," I bit my tongue, "You can't come with me to my appointment."

"Why not?"

"Because you'll be bored the whole time," I assured, unbuckling both him and Yuri from their car seats, "You'll be fine."

"I hate this place," he grumbled under his breath.

"Yuri, please," I begged, "Just play nice with the other kids."

"I don't like the other kids."

"Please?" I helped the two of them out of the car, "Unless you want me to leave you with Auntie Nat for a while."

"No," he shook his head, damn near giving himself whiplash, "No Auntie Nat."

"Good," I took Yuri and Yurio's hands. I knew that would get him to settle down. After all the horror stories I told him about how much of a drill instructor Natalia was with me teaching me my short program, Yurio knew from that moment on that he never wanted her teaching him. Mostly out of fear.

I left the boys behind and began my day of treating myself. That was a perk of having Chris come over for a while. I knew that a day like this would be waiting for me. Chris and Victor play Twister. Violet gets a spa trip. This really couldn't have come at a better time either. I hurt everywhere and deserved every moment of this.

First order of business after getting just about every inch of my body waxed (always did when I was still skating. Now, it was just mostly out of habit.), I was getting a massage. My body hated me, I was sleep deprived, and the lovely gentleman that had a nice pair of hands knew how to take care of me. As he pushed down in all the right spots, sending chills down my realigned spine, I started to drift off, perfectly content with the world. Victor could have his orgasms. I could have mine. Life was good.

That is, until my phone started going off, waking me from my sweet slumber. I glanced down at the screen and a picture of Victor popped up. My idiot husband, "Victor, I told you. Stretch first. I'm not taking you back to the hospital for a pulled hammy."

"I'm not calling over a pulled hamstring," Victor promised, "And that was one time!"

"Anyway," I shook my head, "Hi, honey. What can I do for you?"

"I just got a call from daycare," he reported, "Yuri's gotten into trouble."

"Yuri?" I wondered, "You're sure it's Yuri and not Yurio?"

"That's what they told me," Victor said, "They just said he wasn't behaving."

"Hard to believe that," I rolled my eyes, "I'll call them up and see if I can get details. I'll probably go pick the boys up and keep them out for a while."

"I'm sorry this had to put a damper on things, Vi," he apologized.

"It's more quality time with my boys," I settled him, "It's no problem. Besides, I still have a second leg of this to do. Say hi, Sasha."

"Hi, Victor," Sasha, my massuse, called out.

"Hi, Sasha," Victor chirped, "My god, I could listen to him all day."

"You and me both, sister," I agreed, "Unfortunately, our time is cut short."

"I'll find a way to make this up to you," he promised.

"Don't worry about it, Victor," I hushed, "It's fine. Any more and I'd be a noodle."

"We'll talk it over once you get home."

"Leave a tie on the door," I requested, "Last time I walked in on that, I damn near needed therapy."

"Sorry," he had such a dirty smirk in his voice, "What can I say? Other than left hand, red while right hand went blue."

"Victor!"

"I love you, Violet," that asshole giggled to himself.

"Love you, too," I rolled my eyes and threw my phone back in my robe pocket.

"Everything alright?" Sasha worried.

"One of the babies got in trouble," I pulled myself together, "I have to go play Mama."

"Another time then?" he offered, "No charge?"

"Sasha," I hugged him tight, "Have I mentioned how much I love you?"

"Maybe once or twice," Sasha tied my robe for me, "Dasvidanya."

"Bye," I changed quickly back into my regular clothes and headed toward the daycare. Once I got there, Yuri and Yurio were sitting outside the coordinator's office. Yurio was pretty unscathed, but Yuri was sporting a black eye and a couple scrapes on his legs.

"Oh my God," I freaked, putting my hand to Yuri's face.

"Mrs. Nikiforov," the coordinator tapped on my shoulder, "You think I could speak with you?"

"Yeah," I left them outside and went in her office, "Do you have any idea what happened?"

"Neither one of them are saying anything," she told me, "Have things been ok with them lately?"

"They've never been better," I assured, "They've both taken up ice skating. They're not necessarily getting along and mostly that's Yurio's problem, but they've never had a fist fight."

"Yuri wasn't fighting Yurio," the coordinator explained, "He was fighting one of the older children."

"Are you saying Yuri started it?" I asked, "Because that boy probably couldn't fight to save his life."

"I don't know who started it," she grunted, "All I know is that two of my kids got hurt and Yurio won't leave Yuri's side."

"I'll get to the bottom of this," I got up, "Thank you for calling."

I knew exactly what she was going to say. Somehow, the coordinator was going to spin this to make either Victor or me to sound like terrible parents. We do the best we can with who we got. We knew that adopting would be a little sketchy and the boys would need all the time in the world to adjust to a new living situation, but I never thought it would've ever come down to this. A quiet walk to the car and the three of us pulled out of the daycare parking lot.

"Alright, boys," I checked the rearview, "Care to tell me what happened?"

"Are we in trouble, Mama?" Yuri asked meekly.

"You will be if you don't tell me what happened," I hated when I had to be the one to discipline the children, but it had to be done.

"There were some of the older kids picking on Yurio," he confessed, "I couldn't stand there and let it happen."

"They told me I looked like a girl," Yurio fumed.

"Are you a girl, Yurio?" I asked.

"No!" he squeaked, "And I could've handled them myself!"

"Yurio," I settled him.

"But thank you, Yuri," Yurio mumbled, "Really. I appreciate it."

"Looks like you have a defense squad, Yurio," I praised, "What you did wasn't exactly good, Yuri, but it wasn't bad either. You were standing up for your little brother and that's very commendable. There were a million and one ways you could've handled it better, but you did the best with what you had."

"So," Yuri quivered a bit, "Are we still in trouble?"

"A little trouble," I smiled, "And your punishment is coming with me to my last appointment for the day."

"What's that?" Yurio asked.

"I'm getting my nails done," I pulled back in to the spa, "And you two are going to be perfect little angels while they're doing it. If you are, I'll take you both to the rink."

"Ok!" The decision was unanimous.

I loved my boys. I loved them so much. I loved that it didn't take much to get them to settle down. The two of them sat next to me as quiet as church mice while my nail tech scraped down the dead skin from my cuticles. I caught Yurio cringe out of the corner of my eye.

"Doesn't that hurt?" he worried.

"Not really," I shrugged, "Only if the nail tech doesn't know what they're doing. Not to make you nervous or anything, Yurio, but you're going to end up having to have this done one day, too."

"Why?" I thought that child's eyes were about to pop out of his skull.

"I'm sure Yakov would have you doing this," I assumed, "Every little thing helps. It's aesthetic, baby. That's a part of being a professional figure skater. You just have to grit your teeth and put up with it."

"What if I don't want to?"

"That's between you and Yakov."

"What if I wanted to be a professional figure skater, too?" Yuri shared his brothers nerves.

"You'd be doing this, too," I told, "Sorry, sweetie."

"But Mama," Yurio pointed out, "You don't skate professionally anymore."

"True."

"Then, why would you be doing this willingly?" Yuri freaked.

"It doesn't hurt, boys," I settled them as she started to put the clear base coat on, "I promise."

"These your boys, Violet?" Greta figured.

"Yeah," I beamed, "Those are my babies. And one day, they'll be the two top figure skaters in the world."

"Which one of us will be the top, Mama?" Yurio jumped.

"Yeah!" Yuri matched his enthusiasm, "Which one?"

"Relax, you two," I giggled, "You're asking me to pick between you. I can't do that. Maybe you'll tie."

"No!"

"That's not enough!"

"Look," I blew on my left hand while Greta tended to my right, "You two are going to shatter some of Victor's records. I know that much. You'll leave him in the dust."

"No," Yuri settled, "I don't want Daddy to lose his records."

"I do!" Yurio kept his fire, "I want to break all of them!"

"Easy, dovahkiin," I kissed his forehead, "Your mama's coming out in you."

That was enough to get a massive smile on that kid's face. And that's all I wanted. Although, it left Greta rather confused. I keep forgetting that not everyone knows the dragon's tongue.

"What did you just call him?" she gave me a look.

"Dovahkiin," I reiterated, "It means dragonborn."

"I can see it," Greta agreed, "Did you have anything specific you wanted me to do, Violet?"

"Surprise me," I gave her free reign.

I had never seen Yuri and Yurio so content. They watched patiently as Greta delicately painted what appeared to be deep red scales and fire on my fingers. In all seriousness, her talents were wasted as a nail artist. She needed to be featured in galleries. Yet, this was where she was. I must admit, though. Every brushstroke was oddly satisfying. After an hour of detailing, Greta put her brush down.

"There we are, Violet," she stretched her fingers out, "Good enough for you?"

"Dragon scales," I assumed.

"You did say that Yurio was a dragonborn," Greta smiled, "He had to get that from somewhere."

"But my boys are adopted."

"Doesn't matter," she held my hand, "Those two are your boys. No matter where they came from. By some cosmic chance, you have them. And them, you. They may not be your blood, but they are, no doubt, yours."

"Yeah," I glanced over at my boys being all sweet, "They are. Now, I have to come through on a promise for them."

"Oh?" Greta wondered, "And what's this promise?"

"Watch," I smirked, "Yuri, Yurio, you boys feel up to a trip to the rink?"

"Yeah!" they were both on their feet.

"But Mama," Yurio got nervous, attaching himself to me at my hip, "It's during normal hours."

"Don't get stage fright on me now, Yuri," I took his hand, "If you're going to be world class some day, you're going to have to get over that."

"What if Porky's better than me?" he worried.

"Then, you're going to have to show him you're better than he is," I gave him that little push he needed.

"I will!" Just like that, Yurio bolted out to the car already.

"A lot of passion with him, isn't there?" Greta laughed.

"Yeah," I took Yuri's hand, "Thank you, Greta."

"You're welcome," she sent me off, "Victor's charge account, right?"

"That's right," I confirmed. And the three of us headed straight to the rink. I could stand a little free skating, too. But I had a mission while I was there. I needed to see if those two could be on the same ice together. A part of me wanted to call Yakov, but I didn't want to risk Yurio losing his coach to Yuri. That'd kill him.

"Aren't you going to skate with us, Mama?" Yuri offered.

"No," I shook my head, "I'm going to let you two go ahead. Show me what you got."

 **A/N: YOU CAN'T TELL ME THAT IN REGULAR CANON, YURI WOULDN'T DECK ANYONE FOR YURIO. HE IS CAPTAIN OF THE PROTECT YURI PLISETSKY TASK FORCE. Capslock aside, a lot happened in this chapter. Violet got a little jealous of Chris. Victor finally got his Twister. Yuri kicked the shit out of some asshole on the playground. And unfortunately, we're going to be saying goodbye to Uncle Chris next chapter. Don't worry, though. There's about to be a little more excitement with Yuri and Yurio's future in ice skating, so it's not going to be all sad. See you next chapter! xx**


	9. Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

As much of a pain in the ass he could be sometimes, I was going to miss having Chris around. The house felt like a home. We felt like a complete family. Things wouldn't be the same without him. To think this was going to be our last dinner together for a while.

"Yuri," Victor looked our son over, "Why were you picking fights at daycare today?"

"Because," Yuri explained, still not over what had happened, "Some of the big kids told Yurio he looked like a girl."

"At least he's a pretty girl."

"Hey!" Yurio growled, "I'm not a girl!"

"I was only protecting him, Daddy," Yuri glanced down at his feet.

"So," Victor asked, "How'd you do it?"

"Victor!" Both Chris and I scolded him.

"Sorry," he apologized, immediately seeing the error of his ways, "Did you use your words, Yuri?"

"At first," Yuri told.

"Well then," Victor chirped, "It's his fault he didn't listen. He didn't understand that no meant no."

"This man was going to give me an aneurysm, but I couldn't leave him. By the look on Chris' face he understood completely. That same look of love and exasperation. We both loved this idiot and we weren't getting rid of him any time soon. And because Chris was such a sweetheart, he helped me clear the dishes. Someone liked to use the excuse of taking Makkachin out to get out of doing dishes.

"Violet," Chris sighed out, "Do you think I could ask a huge favor of you?"

"Of course, Chris," I allowed, "What is it?"

"Well," he blushed. It took a lot for Chris to blush, "it's just that...Since it is my last night in town…Not to mention we were together intimately all day…DO you think…maybe I could…Could I…?"

I had a feeling I knew exactly what he wanted, "You want Victor to cuddle with for the night, don't you?"

"Yes," he couldn't even look at me, "If it's not too much to ask. I understand if you say no. He is your husband."

"Chris," I put my hand to his cheek, "It's fine. If you want to cuddle with Victor for the night, that's fine."

Chris threw his arms around me, "Merci, Violet."

"You're welcome, sweetie," I reveled in his embrace. Chris always did have some killer hugs, "You have been awfully cuddly lately, Chris. What's the occasion?"

"Absence does make the heart grow fonder," he admitted, "And I really do miss Victor from time to time when I'm back home. This may not be easy for you to hear, but I know Victor feels the same."

Chris was right. I knew Victor missed him once he walked out the door. And it killed him to see Chris leave. Dealing with Victor after that isn't exactly pleasant, but we always manage to muddle through together. But probably just as bad, I knew I was the one keeping them apart. Victor could say I did good when we got married all he wanted to. I knew he was dying inside. Before Chris could see my inevitable breakdown, I pulled out my ace in the hole.

"It's getting kind of late," my voice broke a bit, "I'm going to go put the boys to bed."

"Ok," Chris knew something wasn't exactly right with me, but he knew better than to say something about it, "Yuri, Yurio, time for bed."

"Aww!" Yurio whined in the middle of a video game.

"Yurio," Chris demanded, "Your game will be there in the morning."

"But I won't be," he fought, "I start training with Yakov tomorrow morning!"

"Tell you what," I bargained, "I'm going to go tuck your brother in first. When I come back, you're going to bed, too."

"Fine," Yurio brushed me off, laser focused on his game.

"Come on, Yuri," I took his hand and brought him to his room. At least one of them listened.

Yuri got all snuggled in his bed while I grabbed an ice pack out of the freezer. His eye was really starting to look bad. The black, blue, and purple splotch under it stood out like a sore thumb. Hopefully, people don't think he's being abused. No. Anyone that knows Victor and I knows better. We couldn't love these boys any more than we already do.

I pressed the ice pack over Yuri's eye, "How's it feeling, baby?"

"It still kind of hurts," Yuri told, "But only when you push on it like that."

"Then, I won't push on it anymore," I promised, cradling him in my lap, "You did a bad thing for a good reason today, Yuri."

"I know," he quivered a little.

"But it's done and over with," I kissed the top of his head, "I'm proud of you."

"Even though I hurt someone?"

"You got hurt, too," I pointed out, "I'd say you both learned your lesson."

"Ok," Yuri let out a tiny yawn, "Mama...?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"Why does Uncle Chris have to leave?" he laid his head on my shoulder.

"He has a life outside us, too, Yuri," I felt that one in my soul, "Now, get some sleep, ok?"

"Ok," Yuri nestled down in his blankets, "Good night, Mama."

"Good night, Yuri," I kissed his forehead, "I love you."

"Love you, too."

I killed the light in Yuri's bedroom and shut the door. Now, for the hard part, "Yuri, turn the game off."

"Ok," Yurio did exactly what he was told. And when he was told. Huh...Was it my birthday and I didn't know it? Yurio and I continued the time-honored tradition of his bedtime routine. I sat on the edge of the bed while Yurio got his tiger plushie.

"Tomorrow morning's going to come awfully early for you, Yuri," I warned, "Are you going to be ok with that?"

"I'm still not sure about Yakov," Yurio worried.

"I'll be right there, Yuri," I swore, "Every practice."

"You promise?" Yurio's eyes sparkled with a combination of hope and fear.

"I promise," I held him tight, "Are you going to be ok with earlier practices?"

"I knew I didn't like Yakov for a reason," he pouted.

"You'll get used to it, dovakhiin," I giggled, "Now, go to sleep."

"Mama," Yurio grabbed the bottom of my shirt.

"What is it, baby?"

"Will you play your program music for me?" he requested.

"Of course, sweetheart," I knew just which one he wanted. I scrolled through my phone until I found the right song and plugged it in his speaker. When I sat back down, Yurio crawled back into my lap with his blanket and his tiger, "Do you know what she's saying in the dragon's tongue, Yuri?"

"What?"

"Dragonborn, dragonborn," I sang, pushing the hair out of his face, "By his honor is sworn. To keep evil forever at bay. And the fiercest foes rout when they hear triumph's shout. Dragonborn, for your blessing we pray."

"This dragonborn," Yurio thought out loud, "You really think I could be him?"

"I know you are him," I gave him a kiss, pulling his blankets over him, "Bright and early, Yuri."

"I know," he grumbled.

"I love you, dovakhiin."

"I love you, too, Mama."

I switched off the lights and closed Yurio's door behind me. It had gotten pretty late and I knew I was going to have to be up early. Might as well go to bed. Or the couch, as the case may be. I stuck my head in the guest room and found the sheets neatly folded on the corner of the bed with a note on it.

So you don't have to sleep on the couch tonight.

C.

Bless you, Christophe. He stripped the bed for me. The bedding felt warm and smelled like lavender fabric softener. I made the bed, wrapped myself in the comforter, and crawled in, ready to call it a night. In a perfect world, I really wouldn't mind Chris moving in. But we didn't want to raise suspicion and like I told Yuri, Chris had a life outside us. He was still skating where Victor had retired last year to spend more time with the boys. One day.

The next morning, I climbed out of bed, ready to take Yurio to Yakov. All I needed was a to-go cup full of espresso and I'd be fine. I stumbled a few steps and started heading toward the kitchen. But stopped dead in the hallway when I heard Chris and Victor at the door.

"When will you be back?" Victor asked.

"As soon as I can," Chris promised, "I have some things to take care of back home. Once that's all done, then I'll be on the first plane back here."

"I'll miss you," Victor's voice shook.

"No, no, mi amore," Chris settled him, "I'll be back before you get the chance to miss me. You know that, Vitya. Kiss Violet and the boys for me. I don't want this to be hard on them."

Although, Chris and I made eye contact while Victor's face was buried in his shoulder. He shot me a subliminal goodbye with a wink and gave his boyfriend one last kiss. Then, just like that, Chris was gone. And Victor sat in the kitchen with Makkachin at his feet, giving him the occasional pat on the head. I couldn't let him be alone. Not now.

"Hey," I walked in, getting my usual coffee cup.

"Morning," Victor sighed out, "You just missed Chris."

"Are you ok?" I worried, sitting with him.

"I'm sure I'll manage," I knew that look. His managing was going to be a pint of cookie dough and Lifetime movies. And that was all going to be before noon.

"Are you and Yuri going to the rink this morning?" I asked, trying to get his mind off things.

"Later," he nodded, "Not really up for going anywhere right now. What about you and Yurio? Isn't he starting with Yakov today?"

"Yeah," I stirred in my creamer, "In a little while."

"Hopefully, Yakov will go easier on him than he did on me," Victor forced a smile.

"Victor," I took his hand, "He will be back."

"I know," he shook a little, "I just wish he didn't have to leave. I really did think we could've kept things casual between us."

"Catching feelings, are we?" I assumed.

"Yeah," Victor fell onto the table top, "I'm sorry, Violet, but I am."

"I understand," I ran my thumb over his, "We'll get through it, Victor. I promise."

"You should go," he gave me a nudge, "You shouldn't keep Yakov waiting. He gets cranky when you show up late. Like...Thirty minutes late...With a latte...More times than you'd like to admit."

"You sound like a voice of experience," I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"I am a voice of experience." There it was. Victor's first genuine smile. And the sun shined a little brighter.

"Will you be alright without me for a while?" I worried.

"I'll be fine," he assured, "If all else fails, I won't be by myself. If I get too bad, I won't get the cookie dough or Yuri's going to want some. I'll meet you at the rink later, ok?"

"Ok," I got up, "You do know I'll be here for you no matter what, right? You and me?"

"I know."

"And if you need anything," I kissed his cheek, "Tell me."

"Thank you, Violet," Victor pulled me down to his lap, wrapping his arms around me, "Really and truly, what did I do to deserve you?"

"You got me out of seedy burlesque clubs," I reminded him, "And you got me on the ice."

"I love you," he nuzzled his face in my shoulder blades.

"I love you, too," I got back up, "Now, I have to go wake up Yurio. Pray for me."

"You have my prayers."

Slowly, but surely, I made my way into Yurio's room and to my surprise, he was already awake, "Good morning, Yuri."

"Good morning, Mama," he dug through his dresser.

"What's the occasion you're already up?" I wondered.

"I'm excited!" Yurio squealed, "I've never wanted to get on the ice so bad in my life! Where are my skates?"

"They're in the front closet," I giggled, "Yuri, relax. Yakov isn't going to be there until nine. It's barely eight o'clock."

"Then, I can get some warmup time in," I had never seen this kid so fired up, "Come on, Mama! Let's go! Let's go!"

I barely had a cup of coffee in me and Yurio could probably run laps around the house without breaking a sweat. This was worse than the time Victor "accidentally" gave him Mountain Dew just to see what would happen. That kid with Mountain Dew in him and a bouncy castle, although a hilarious sight to see, was a disaster.

The two of us got ready to leave and I grabbed Yurio's bag, giving Victor a quick kiss in the doorway, "If you need anything…"

"I will," he cut me off, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Hurry up, Mama!" Yurio screeched down the hall. And that was my cue to get him to the rink as soon as possible. If Yakov didn't want me in the beginning, he was going to want me by the end of today's practice.

 **A/N: By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YURIO! My baby grew up so fast. And to celebrate, as a little surprise, I wrote a one-shot for him, going along more of the canon than an AU like this one as to what that little angel did today. It's cute and fluffy, just like Yurio himself. It's called Surprise. It should be near the top of my profile. I suggest reading it. If you were wanting your Victuri, that's got your Victuri. If you were wanting some Otayuri, that's got some Otayuri (Yurabek? I'm not really sure what the official ship name for that is, but you know what I'm talking about). I know I said this week was going to be Yurio's first practice with Yakov, but we're going to wait until next week for that. I'm sorry this is up late, but posting two chapters in one day isn't exactly my normal workload. And I actually left my house today, so…Anyway, I love your faces. And I'll see you next chapter! xx**


	10. New Coach, New Yurio

I loved this rink early in the morning or late at night. It had such a nice, still, peaceful aura about it. And I loved even more that Yurio had learend to appreciate that same haunting sensation. He might have been adopted, but there was no doubt in my mind he was my son. Yurio had the same twinkle in his eye that I did.

"Violet, you're late!" Yakov snapped.

"What do you mean, we're late?" I checked my phone, "We're half an hour early. Yuri wanted to get a little time on the ice to warm up."

"I told you eight-thirty."

"You told me nine," I stood my ground, "Go ahead, Yuri. Put your skates on and give me a good routine."

"Ok, Mama," Yurio tied his skates and slid out to the middle of the rink.

"Look, Violet," Yakov growled, "Just becuase you're here doesn't make you his coach. You're not Yuri's coach anymore. I am. Now, I'm not going to let a stage mother do my job for me."

"Ok," I quivered. Yakov was scary...

"Does Yuri have a dance instructor?" he asked, watching Yurio closely.

"Yeah," I nodded, "Me."

"Get a professional," Yakov demanded, "If you can't find one, I know someone."

"No," I brushed him off, "I'd like to keep it in the family, if that's alright with you."

"Not Victor," he cringed, "He's not a professional in the least bit. Sure, he has the talent, but he lacks the discipline."

"No," I settled him, "My friend Natalia. She's a professional dancer. She's been doing ballet since she was three. Natalia was my teacher and she's ruthless."

"Fine," Yakov allowed it, "I want you to get him lessons immediately. He will spend two hours here with me in the morning and two hours with her in the afternoon. We will start preliminaries in three months. We have until then to get him prepared."

"Ok," Yakov still scared the hell out of me, but he's one of the best. It's for Yurio. I could tolerate him for Yurio's sake.

"Why aren't you arranging his lessons?" he glared through my soul. I scattered off, stepping outside. So, Yakov is officially terrifying. For Yurio. Do it for Yurio, Violet. I scrolled through my phone for Natalia's number.

"Hello?" a half dead voice groaned on the other end.

"Hey, Natalia," I winced, "Are you ok?"

"I was asleep, Violet," Natalia grumbled, "Is this life and death?"

"Sort of," I treaded lightly, "I have a job for you."

"I'm listening," I wasn't sure how accurate that was.

"I need to schedule some lessons with you," I told her.

"Really?" Natalia perked up a little more, "Three years off the ice. Are you finally staging your big comeback, Violet?"

"No," I clarifed, "They're not for me. I'm retired."

"There's no way they're for Victor," Natalia figured, "I've seen that man's step sequences. His footwork is heartbreakingly flawless."

"No!" I squeaked, "It's for Yurio."

"Yurio?" she gasped, "I never woudl've thought Yurio would've been the one to get into dance. My money was on Yuri."

"Oh, Yuri's skating, too," I assured, "Victor's teaching him."

"If anyone could," Natalia gushed, "When are you wanting Yurio to come in?"

"Are you free this afternoon?" I wondered.

"I got nothing going on," she assured, "Sure. We can work out a schedule then, too."

"Thank you, Nat," I let out a heavy sigh of relief, "You're a lifesaver."

"Violet, you're one of my best friends," she pointed out, "And you know I've always had a soft spot for Yurio. It's my pleasure."

"Now, go back to sleep, Natalia," I pulled out my mom voice.

"Bless you."

Click.

It wouldn't surprise me if Natalia had a touch of a hangover. Girlfriend liked her vodka. And girlfriend liked to party. When she wasn't teaching ballet, Natalia was a go-go dancer in a couple clubs in downtown St. Petersburg. As she taught me ballet, I'd teach her some of my old moves from my days of dancing burlesque in New York. Oh, the memories.

"You're overrotating!" Yakov's voice thundered as I came back in, "Your jumps are sloppy! Don't go for triples when you can barely manage doubles! That's how you end up hurting yourself! No sympathy!"

I left Yurio and Yakov alone for ten minutes and this is what I come back to. No, no, no. Not happening, "Yakov!"

"What?" he snarled at me while Yurio was suppressing tears.

"He's just a kid," I settled him, "So, he wants to go for bigger jumps. Let him."

"No!" Yakov put his foot down, "If he wants to get any better, this is how things will be."

"You yelling at my son?" I glared, "I don't think so."

"Mama," Yurio choked out meekly, "I'm fine."

No, he's not. I knew better, "Go back to the ice, baby."

After that long, uncomfortable, and brutal practice, I got Yurio the hell out of there. My poor baby. He didn't deserve the verbal abuse Yakov was giving him. He's trying his best. Is that not good enough for Yakov? Probably not. If he let someone like Victor slip through his fingers, I'm sure Yurio will wise up, too.

"Mama..." Yurio spoke softly, "I don't like Yakov."

"I understand, honey," I agreed, "You don't have to keep training with him if you don't want to."

"But I want to," he assured, surprising me, "I don't want to stop training with Yakov. He'll get me to the top. And there's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"Are you sure?" I worried.

"Yes," Yurio had such a certainty in his voice that I had never heard before. I've seen the fire in his eyes, but this was something entirely different, "I'm positive. I'm going to become the warrior you see in me. I'm going to conquer lands I've never seen before. Fight the mobs of enemies. I will be worthy of being called dragonborn."

"Ok." Amazing. One practice with Yakov and Yurio's already got the mindset and the confidence. Or maybe he was just playing cocky. But I couldn't lose faith in him. He had it in himself in spades, but Yurio fed off my energy more than anyone else's. If I lost faith in him, he'd spiral. When we got home, Yuri sat in the living room, playing with Makkachin while his father laid on the couch, still not completely there, but better than when I left him this morning.

"Why don't you go lay down for a while, Yuri?" I suggested, "We have one more thing to do today and you'll want to rest up for it. I'll come take care of you in a minute, ok?"

"Ok, Mama," Yurio tried hiding a limp from me as he went into his room. How many times did he fall today?

"Hey," Victor called from the couch, "How was practice?"

"Yuri," I sat on the arm, "Go to your room. Daddy and I need to talk."

"Ok," Yuri got up and took Makkachin with him.

"Violet?" Victor worried, "Is everything alright?"

"He's brutal, Victor," my heart broke, "Yurio's going to tough it out, but I almost don't want him to. Who hurt Yakov to where it made him such an asshole?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "I've never dug that deep with Yakov."

"I'm not sure if I can watch that again," a couple tears escaped my eyes, "I don't think my heart can take it."

"Do you want me to talk to Yakov?" Victor volunteered, "Tell him to take it easy on Yurio?"

"No," I shook my head, "You don't have to do that."

"He's my son, too, Violet," he reminded me, "I don't want him yelling at Yurio either."

"Then, why did you say I should let him coach our baby?" I snapped...but realized the error of my ways very quickly, "I'm sorry, Victor. It's just that Yakov's got me all worked up and I did everything I could to keep myself from punching him. Do you know how much intestinal fortitude that took?"

"And I'm proud of you for not doing it," Victor praised, "I know he's brutal, sweetheart, but he has his methods. And they work. Now, this thing later. What do you and Yurio have planned for the afternoon?"

"Yakov told me I had to get Yurio lessons," I explained, "He said he knew someone, but I told him I got someone, too. So, I'm taking him to see Natalia later. Because, according to Yakov, I'm not enough of a professional to teach him. It's not like I've won gold twice and silver once and have an excellent track record. I'm not qualified to coach him. I'm not qualified to teach him."

"Easy, Violet," he joked, "With that much salt, you're going to give yourself a heart attack."

"It's true, though!" I squealed, "He belittled me the first chance he got. He told me that I was just a stage mother at a toddler beauty pageant compared to him."

"In a way," Victor pulled me down to him, "You are. But you know you're so much more than that. And you know it. You were Yurio's first coach and look where that got him. Yakov's radar. One of, if not the best coach in the world. If that doesn't get you a little notoriety, nothing will."

I nuzzled my face in my husband's shoulder, "I'm worried about him, Victor. What if Yakov beats that sweet little boy out of him?"

"He'll be ok," he cradled me, "Yakov was my coach for ten years and I turned out ok. I got five gold metals under him. Yurio will do just fine."

"But..."

"Violet, you're overthinking," Victor's embrace tightened.

"I know," I shook a little, "Overprotective mother syndrome kicked in. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize," he cuddled me, "I understand where you're coming from, but there's no need for it. Yakov's the least of your worries right now. You still have to take Yurio to see Natalia. You know she's going to work him to the bone. You know the kind of drill instructor she can be."

"Thanks, Victor," I pouted, "That was such a help."

"She'll go easy on him," he assured, "She loves him almost as much as you do. I'm sure she won't be too ruthless."

"It's Natalia," I pointed out, "She better not. She's seen me be a tiger mommy with Yurio."

"It's going to be fine," Victor rocked me, "I know it will."

I hoped it would. Between Yakov bitching at Yurio for not being as skilled as someone that's been at this for years and Natalia, who's been dancing since she could walk, and her teaching methods, God only knows what's going to happen to my baby. Don't worry, Dovahkiin. Mama's got this, too.

 **A/N: Yurio, you little angel. The eyes of a soldier, right? They had to come from somewhere, didn't they? Well, if you thought Yakov was bad, we'll see about how Natalia, who actually does love Yurio a little, handles him. See you next chapter! xx**


	11. Yurio Learns to Dance

Look at him. Look at my sweet, little angel, sleeping so soundly. Practice must have taken more out of Yurio than I thought. My poor baby. Well, while he's asleep...I started with his legs. Yurio tried not to limp when we came in. He must have taken a tumble when I was on the phone with Natalia. Sure enough, when I pulled the waistband of Yurio's pants down, a big, splotchy, black and purple bruise the size of a dessert plate sprawled across his left thigh.

I thought so. Yurio, baby...Why didn't you tell me? Why would you have tried hiding this from me? I could understand keeping it from Yakov. Hell, I could understand keeping it from Victor. But me? Not me. Yurio stirred under my touch and those sparkling green eyes of his popped open, making everything ok for just a moment.

"Well," I smiled, "Good morning, sleepy."

"Sorry, Mama," Yurio rubbed his eyes, "I fell asleep."

"It's ok, baby," I pulled him into my lap, "You had a long practice and you're still getting used to being up in the morning. Now, we need to have a little talk."

"About what?" he laid his little head on my chest, simultaneously melting my heart.

"Your bruises," I pointed out. Immediately, Yurio dropped his gaze. So, he did know about that, "Yuri, why didn't you tell me you got hurt at practice?"

He wouldn't even look at me. And that broke my heart. I could only hug him tighter while Yurio kept his mouth shut. I lifted his head back up and I could see the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Yuri," I snuggled him, "You have to tell me when you get hurt."

"But if I get hurt," Yurio's voice shook, "I can't skate anymore."

"Listen, baby," I explained, "If you get hurt, your most likely injury is a broken tailbone. If it's only a fracture, you'll be down a month. If it's a full break, two or three months. Your legs? Six to eight weeks. Ankle? Six weeks. A hip? That's anywhere from a few weeks to six months."

"How do you know all of this, Mama?" Yurio wondered.

"Did you forget?" I chuckled a bit, breaking the tension, "I used to do this, too, Yuri. I've had my fair share of injuries. Not to mention, Victor, too. I've had to take care of him on countless occasions. Even before you and your brother came into our lives."

"That's right..."

"However," I went on, "Those down times would be mere blips, but only if they're treated. If they're left untreated? You would never be able to skate again. Do you see what I'm trying to say to you?"

"That I need to tell you when I get hurt or it could end my skating career before it even starts?" he figured.

"Bingo," I kissed his cheek, "No more hiding your bruises, got it?"

"Ok," Yurio cuddled into me.

"Good," I got up from his bed, "Now, get your shoes on. You and I have an appointment."

"For what?" he asked, his feet hitting the floor.

"Yakov wanted me to get you in dance lessons full time," I told him, "We're going to meet with your teacher."

"Did Yakov pick?" Yurio worried, putting his shoes on.

"No," I promised, "I did. It's alright, baby. Your teacher is nowhere near the level of intense as Yakov. At least I hope not..."

"Mama!"

"I'm only playing, Yuri," I hugged him. As the two of us went out in the living room, nothing had changed. Yuri had a hold of Makkachin's tail. Victor flipped through the TV. I leaned over the couch, giving my husband a quick kiss, "We'll be back in a little while. You think you and Yuri can manage that long?"

"I'm sure we will," Victor pulled me back down for one last kiss, "Send my love."

"I will," I blushed a little.

"I love you, Violet!" he called behind me.

"Love you, too!" I yelled back, grabbing the car keys off the hook in the kitchen.

And Yurio and I took off to his first dance lesson. Well...His first formal dance lesson. More professional...I still hated the way Yakov treated me. The things I do for you, Yurio. It's for Yurio, Violet. Besides, I know his teacher. And she's a sweetheart. I just hope she keeps that up for his sake.

"At least it's a home studio," Yurio sighed out, staring out the window as we pulled into Natalia's studio, "Did my new teacher say we could do lessons here?"

"It is her studio," I giggled, helping him out of the car, "I'd say so."

"Auntie Nat's going to be my teacher?" Yurio's face didn't know whether it wanted to be ecstatic or terrified. I've told plenty of horror stories from my days of learning with Nat to strike the fear of God in his heart.

"Of course she is," I smiled, putting him more at ease, "Who better?"

"Yurio!" Natalia stood in the doorway.

"Auntie Nat!" Yurio made a beeline for her, jumping up into her arms.

"Hello, sweetheart," she hugged him tight, "Have you heard the news?"

"You're going to teach me?" he kept his fingers crossed.

"That's right," Natalia confirmed, "Is that alright with you?"

"Yes!" Yurio nodded, on the verge of whiplash.

"Natalia," I hugged her, too, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Violet," she chuckled a bit.

"You've certainly perked up since we last spoke," I teased.

"It's amazing what coffee can do," Natalia pointed out, raising her cup to me.

"See, Yuri?" I nudged him, "I told you."

"I don't care," Yurio pouted, "It's still disgusting."

"He'll learn," Natalia assumed, "One day, he'll learn."

"I told him the same thing!" I squeaked, "But oh, no. Yuri's too set in his ways."

"Can we start yet?" Yurio whined.

"Speaking of your lessons," I sent him off, "Go get a quick stretch in, Yuri."

"Ok." I didn't have to tell him twice. Yurio sprinted inside and kicked his shoes off.

"Natalia," I stopped her.

"What is it, Violet?" she asked, "Is everything alright?"

"I need you to make me a promise," I put my foot down, "Do not be hard on him. Don't teach him like you taught me. It's bad enough he has Yakov riding him. He doesn't need-"

"Hold on," Natalia cut me off, "You're not talking about Yakov Feltsman, are you?"

"The one and only," I grumbled, "He's Yurio's coach."

"Wasn't he Victor's coach?" Natalia wondered, the gears in her brain turning.

"Yeah," I nodded, "Now, he's coaching Yurio and he's super, super hard on him. So, please, Natalia. I'm begging you. Go easy on Yurio. Do not be the drill instructor you were with me."

"I won't," she promised, "I've met Yakov. One of my girls took up figure skating. Her whole life she wanted to be a figure skater, so she started taking lessons with me. She was such a talented dancer! My prima six years in a row and at the time, she was a little older than Yurio. Around the time she turned fifteen, she started looking for a coach and stumbled on Yakov. She begged him and begged him until he finally gave in and started coaching her. She was so excited because the great Yakov Feltsman was going to be her skating coach, so she wanted me to meet him. And he struck me as an asshole then. But after every morning practice, she'd come to my studio in the afternoon, crying her eyes out because of Yakov. I can only imagine he's gotten worse. He's a great coach. Don't get me wrong. But he could use a little lightening up."

"Sister, you're telling me," I sighed, "I'm terrified of what he's going to do with Yurio."

"He is not a pleasant man," Natalia took a long, heavy drink from her coffee cup.

"No, he is not," I agreed.

"And he's Yurio's coach?"

"Pray for me."

"You have my prayers," she assured, "You're going to need them. I can see why Lilia left him."

"Lilia?" I wondered.

"She's Yakov's ex-wife," Natalia told, "Apparently, they were disgustingly in love at one time. Like, you and Victor in love."

"Nat," I bit my lip, "You're my best friend and the only person in all of Russia that knows the honest details of our marriage. Do you really think Yakov swings that way?"

"No," she shook her head, "And I had heard Chris was in town recently."

"The rumors are true," I confirmed, "But how do you know about Yakov's ex-wife?"

"She was my ballet teacher when I was young," Natalia went on, "I was studying under her while they were in the process of their divorce. But they were truly in love once. Now, she can't stand him. I've heard Lilia talk down about Yakov so many times. She was the first person I had ever heard curse."

"There's an influence I'd want around my child," I joked.

"You have me, don't you?" she smirked, "I'm sure I could teach Yurio all kinds of colorful words."

"No," I shoved my finger in my best friend's face.

"I won't..."

If my suspicions about Yakov were iffy before, they're definitely there now. But he wasn't always like that. Maybe deep down, there was still a small part of him that wasn't a complete asshole like what I saw this morning. Honestly, I couldn't blame him. I'm sure my husband had a little bit of a hand in his bitter demeanor. Victor never did listen to his coach. If I had a nickel for every time in our skating career that I heard Yakov bitching at him, I'd be a very rich girl. But everything would be fine. Right? But just to be sure...

"Hey, dovahkiin!" I called to Yurio, "Come here!"

"What?" Yurio stood at my feet.

I got down to his level, "Do you remember that promise you made me about your bruises?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "What about it?"

"I want you to make me another promise," I told him, "If Yakov gets to be too much, I want you to tell me as soon as humanly possible and we'll get you a new coach. I know another one."

"Ok," Yurio promised, that fire burning in his eyes, "I won't let Yakov get to me."

"That's my boy," I kissed his cheek, "Now, is it ok if I leave you with Auntie Nat for a while?"

"Um..." Terror washed over his face.

"Yuri," I cradled him, "If you can handle Yakov, you can handle Auntie Nat. Besides, she won't be hard on you. Her life depends on it."

I shot a glare up to my best friend. Natalia knew better than to even consider hurting one of my babies. She knew how protective I was of my boys. They both held a very special place in my heart. Hell, all three of them did. Four, if we're going to count Chris. I was the very definition of a tiger mommy and Natalia knew that. She knew I'd tear her to shreds.

"Fine," Yurio allowed, "Where are you going?"

"Don't worry about it," I settled him, "I'll be back soon. And Natalia?"

"What?" Natalia perked up.

"Play nice," I glared.

"I will!" she shooed me out, "Don't worry, Violet! I can manage Yurio for a couple hours. Is this going to be a daily thing?"

"Yes," I nodded, "Yakov said for two hours every day in the afternoon. Will that work for you?"

"One to three?"

"Good enough."

"I'll see you later, Violet!" Natalia waved me off and I got back in the car.

In all seriousness, I remembered a beautiful Russian man that adored me terribly that told me I had a free massage coming because our last session was broken up by my baby getting into a fight. I had all intentions of cashing in on that. After the day I've had already, I needed something and it was too early in the day to start drinking. Not to mention, I'd have to pick Yurio up from Nat later. So, visiting Sasha didn't seem like such a bad idea.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Nikiforov," the receptionist greeted me, "Is this going to be a full package today?"

"No," I shook my head, "I have an outstanding appointment with Sasha."

"On Victor's charge account?" she gave me a locker key.

"It's been taken care of," I assured, "Thank you."

I went into the usual room that Sasha took care of me in and waited for him. Bless this man. Not going to charge me and I'd have a shoulder to cry on. Sasha may not exactly understand my worries, but he could make me forget about them for a while. That's for sure. I can't complain about that, can I?

"Violet," he chimed, coming through the door, "I wasn't expecing to see you in here today. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I had a couple hours to kill," I let out a heavy sigh, dropping the top half of my robe, "And I need this like you wouldn't believe."

"It's a good thing I'm not busy then," Sasha got started, kneading into my skin, sending shockwaves through my body, "What seems to be the problem?"

"I had to deal with Yurio's new coach this morning," I grumbled into the face cradle, "He's a dick."

"Want to talk about it?" he offered.

"I don't know, Sasha," I bit my tongue, suppressing a moan, "I'm pretty sure I'm doing what's best for Yurio, but Yakov...He's a completely different monster. I remembered him a little from the old days, but he's only gotten worse. I don't want to put Yurio through that, but Victor said Yakov's the best of the best. I know Yurio can go on to do great things and be one of the best, but putting him through Yakov? I'm conflicted."

"Sounds like it," Sasha empathized, "And what does Victor say about Yurio having his old coach?"

"He says it's a good idea to put Yurio in his hands," I went on, "But I'm not so sure. Because of Yakov, Yurio was hiding bruises from me, so he could keep skating. I didn't think I'd have to give him the injury talk so soon. I'm only hoping I don't have to give him the talk before this is all over."

"The talk?"

"The reason I got out of it," I cringed at the memory, "Yuri and Yurio think I got out of skating because of them. Only Victor and I know the real reason. Because Victor was the one to find me and get me to the hospital in time."

"What happened?" Sasha worried.

"It's a sensitive subject," I quivered, "Could we save that story for another day?"

"Of course," he settled me, "That day never has to come if you don't want it to, Violet. I can live without knowing. It's not going to kill me that much."

"Thank you," I melted with the table, "That gives me Vietnam flashbacks I'd rather not have today."

"Don't worry about it, myshka (little mouse)," Sasha cradled my cheek, "I'm here for when you want to vent about anything you want. If you want to keep a tight lip, go ahead."

This was why I had Sasha. Other than the occasional...ahem...meeting. Victor had Chris for when he wanted to play Twister. Me on the other hand? I had Sasha. And Victor was ok with that. We all had our friends with benefits. Sasha thought I was morally loose, but it made things even hotter for us. At the end of the day, I did marry my best friend and the only man I ever wanted to share the ice with, but that was love.

This? With Sasha and me? That was pure lust. No cuddling afterward. No need to get breakfast in the morning. And we were good with that. Once our appetites were satisfied, we parted ways and went on with our lives. However, that only happened once in a blue moon when things with me weren't exactly good. Kind of like now. Although, the fact that I'd be taking out my anger on Sasha because of Yakov killed the mood.

By the time we were done, I felt sufficently like a wet noodle and left what my mother would call my midnight cowboy behind. I needed to go pick my baby up and get him home. I'm sure he's already exhausted. Hopefully, Natalia wasn't too rough on him. She did promise me she'd go easy on him. Soon enough, as much as I hate to admit it, Yurio would know the aches and pains that came along with being professional.

Fortunately, I knew some people. I still kept my physical therapist on speed dial for the days when my war wounds would come back. And my nutritionist for the same reasons. Never in my life do I ever want to have to take Yurio to my nutritionist. Once was enough for me. That was one person I didn't ever want to see again. I shook off the negative clouding my judgment and pushed the door to Natalia's studio.

"Nicely done, Yurio," she praised, "Your mother has taught you well. What was that thing she called you before?"

"Dovahkiin," I called for him, "It's time to go home, sweetheart."

"Mama!" Yurio squealed, latching onto my leg.

"Hi, baby," I smiled, "How'd you do?"

"Tell her, Auntie Nat!" he chimed, "Tell her!"

"Yurio has the most amazing form I've ever seen," she gushed, "And I've been following your husband's career since day one. He may even be better than Victor."

"There's what I was looking for!" Yurio squealed, "If I could, I'd do backflips right now!"

"I'm so proud!" I sat him on my hip, "You ready to go home?"

"Da," he laid his head on my shoulder, "I'm tired, Mama."

"Wait until you crash from the adrenaline," I giggled to myself, "Thank you, Natalia."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Yurio," Natalia kissed his forehead, "Hopefully, your mama will say and take a refresher course that'll lead to her getting back to competing?"

"I'll think about it," I wouldn't mind getting back into the fray, but I still had a few misgivings I had to work through first. Maybe one day. But until then, I had to get the baby home. I barely had Yurio in his car seat and he was already on his way out. We were going to get something to eat first, but he's had a long, hard day. It was time to go home.

 **A/N: So, Yurio's already showing signs he's better than Victor? And that's coming from an original Victor fangirl like Natalia? Well, Violet did teach him well. Like Natalia before her. And Lilia before her. That's right. Natalia…The way I have it thought up in my mind, Lilia was very doting on Natalia when she was younger. And because of that, Lilia pushed Yakov into babies. But at the same time, Yakov was already dealing with Victor being a pain in the ass, so that put a little bit of a rift in their relationship. I don't know. Maybe I'm just spewing.**

 **Also! If you're into that sort of thing and you've read my one-shot I posted for Yurio's birthday a couple weeks ago, I did a book club on Surprise on Tumblr (fan-fiction-book-club). If you want to chime in there, feel free. (And I'm still looking for mods, in case you're interested…) Ok! See you next chapter! xx**


	12. Victor's Got This

**A/N: Hi, guys! The response on the last chapter I did like this seemed to be pretty positive, so why not try it again? I've been wanting to write a sic fic in the worst way lately. I don't know why, so don't ask. But here we are. Only thing about this particular chapter is that we're going to be switching up the POV again! That's right, kids. We're getting another Victor chapter! Yaaaay! *flaily Kermit the Frog arms* Enjoy!**

"No...No, no, no..."

I lazily opened my eyes to find my wife in the middle of a mild tantrum, "Violet?"

"I can't get sick now," she gagged, "I can't..."

"Violet?" I worried. Not how I planned my morning. I thought I'd wake up, get some coffee, take Makkachin for a walk. Instead, I get Violet running for our bathroom, violently throwing up. And in record time, too. I got out of bed to go check on her, "Violet, are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she rinsed her mouth out, hardly able to stand.

"No, you're not," I held her up, "I know better."

"Victor, I'm ok," Violet shook me off, "Move. I have to go wake Yurio up and get him to the rink or Yakov's going to be pissed."

"Violet, no," I nearly had to hold this girl down, "You're obviously sick. Stay here."

"I told you I'm..." she stopped herself, "Hold that thought."

"Are you alright?" I asked, as if I didn't already know the answer.

"Fine," Violet went back to the bathroom only to empty the contents of her stomach yet again.

"What was that you were saying?" I stood outside the door, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you said you were fine."

"Shut up," she came staggering out of the bathroom like the drunk girl at the bar at two in the morning.

"Violet, please," I begged, "Stay in bed. I can take Yurio to Yakov. I need to practice with Yuri anyway."

"No," Violet fought me, "I'll be ok. I can do it."

"Oh, Violet," I let out a heavy, exasperated sigh, "I just had to fall in love with the stubborn American girl, didn't I?"

"I could've had the stockbroker," she reminded me, crawling back into bed, "Instead, I get the pretty Russian boy."

"I could've had the beautiful, leggy, Swiss man of my dreams," I blurted out, "But I get the pain in the ass American girl."

"What...?" Uh-oh...I knew that as soon as any mention of Chris tumbled out of my mouth, that wasn't going to be a good idea. I'd regret everything. Because it nearly had my wife in tears. Such a fragile heart in such a strong casing.

"You stay in bed," I demanded, hoping that if I changed the subject, her thought patterns would shift just as easily, "I'll take care of Yakov. Besides, he loves me deep down. I'm sure he won't mind if I'm there."

"Thank you, Victor," Violet kept her voice down...and wouldn't even make eye contact with me. I might have screwed up a little here.

"You're welcome," I pulled her into my arms, holding her tight, "Go back to sleep, ok?"

"Ok," she nestled down in her blankets a little more.

"I'll be back later to check on you," I assured, kissing her forehead, "I love you."

"Are you sure about that?" Ouch...I did strike a bad chord with her.

"Positive," I squeezed her a little more, making sure my arms weren't on her stomach.

"I love you, too," Violet rolled back into me.

I laid my wife on our bed so delicately and left her to sleep. My poor little angel...She has been working herself a little harder than usual lately. Between the hard practices with Yurio and the stress of dealing with Yakov, it's finally catching up to her. I remember in the old days when she could handle this with the simplest of ease. It's been a while since she's had to do something like this. Violet gave up her skating career, so I could finish mine and to raise the boys while I was gone. Maybe what she really needed was a break.

With the most dainty of footsteps and a little fear, I walked into Yurio's room. I didn't need the SWAT shield, so I had that going for me. Maybe waking him wouldn't be all that bad. I flipped the light on and immediately, his precious little face cringed, "Good morning, Yurio! It's time to wake up!"

"You're not Mama," he pulled his blanket over his head, "Go away."

"That's very true," I agreed, "But Mama isn't feeling well this morning."

Like a bullet out of a gun, Yurio jumped out of bed and bolted for our bedroom. I couldn't help myself. I had to follow him. Violet was trying to go back to sleep. She needed to be left alone. And I didn't need Yurio getting sick. I'm sure Yakov could write off Violet being sick, but from what I understand, Yurio was quickly becoming his prized skater. Rumor had it Yurio was going to be entered in Juniors this year. If he ended up getting sick, Yakov would truly have both his and Violet's head mounted over his fireplace. When I went back into the bedroom, I found Yurio curled up in a little ball in his mother's hip.

"I'll be ok, Yuri," Violet cradled him, "I promise. Go with Victor to the rink."

"But Mama..."

"Go," she insisted, "You can handle Yakov by yourself for today, can't you, dovahkiin?"

"Yeah." It's amazing how with one little word, Violet could have Yurio so fired up.

"Come on, Yurio," I called for him, "We'll be leaving soon."

"Fine," he pouted as Violet gave him one last little kiss on the top of his head.

"Such a way with words, my love," I gushed a bit.

"Learn the dragon's tongue," Violet smiled, "And you could do that, too."

"Do you want anything before we leave?" I asked.

"No," she shook her head, "I'm ok. I'm just going to go back to sleep. If I need anything, I'll call."

"Ok," I blew her a quick kiss and headed toward Yuri's room. My favorite time of the day. He always looked so peaceful when he slept. Like a little angel. Just like his mother. Although I knew there was no blood relation, both those boys had so much of Violet in them and it warmed my heart to no end.

I sat at the edge of my son's bed and spoke softly to him, "Good morning, Yuri. It's time to wake up."

With a little smile on his face, Yuri pulled on my pants leg and pulled himself onto my lap, "Good morning."

"And how is my little piggy this morning?" I cuddled him.

"I'm sleepy, Daddy," Yuri let out a tiny yawn.

"It's time to get up, Yuri," I bounced him a little, "Today's going to be a very special day. We're going to do practice a bit different than usual."

"I don't want to try jumps," he whined, "I'm not ready for that yet."

"No, no," I assured, "You get to practice with your brother today."

"Really?" Yuri perked up a little more, "Why? Doesn't Yurio usually practice with Mama?"

"Yes," I nodded, "But because Mama isn't feeling well, he's going to practice with us. Or we're going to be practicing with him and Yakov."

"Yakov?"

"You haven't seen Yakov since you were little, little," I remembered. My last competition. Violet and the boys had come to Moscow that year to watch. We had the boys for a year at that point. Yakov hardly gave any of them the time of day. Then again, it was Yakov. He wasn't exactly the overly cuddly type, "You need to get out of bed, though."

"Ok," Yuri jumped down from my lap and before I knew it, the boys were ready. I've never seen Yurio skate. I didn't even know if he was any good. He must have been to catch Yakov's attention. The more I heard about Violet's experience with him, the more Yurio started to remind me more of someone else I knew. The three of us got to the rink at nine o'clock on the dot and the familiar silhouette of my former coach stood at the railing.

"Yakov!" I sang out, thrilled to see him again.

"Victor?" the vein stuck out in his forehead. It's funny. That only happens when I come to see him. It must mean he's happy to see me, "What are you doing here?"

"Yurio has practice," I nudged him forward, "Doesn't he?"

"Where's Violet?" Yakov wondered, almost sounding worried.

"She's home sick," I told him, "It's not a pretty sight."

"Surprise, surprise," he scoffed, "I always knew she couldn't handle it."

"Yuri," I hid my shaking from them, "Go help your brother with his skates."

"Yes, Daddy," Yuri took Yurio and helped him put his skates on.

"I don't appreciate the way you speak of my wife, Yakov," I glared through him, "She's been working herself ragged for the past two weeks with you and Yurio. I think her being sick is a good enough excuse for her to take a day, don't you?"

"You know, Vitya," Yakov brushed me off, "You should come back. The world could stand to see that fire again."

"I'm retired," I told him, "Besides, I'm coaching now, too!"

"What?!" Hey! That vein is back!

"Yuri!" I called out, "Show Yakov what I've taught you!"

"Ok..." Yuri skated out to the middle of the rink while Yurio stayed behind, watching his every move. I put on a piano concerto and watched as Yuri attempted a watered-down version of one of my old routines. He was still learning and his spectrum of moves was very limited if he couldn't do any jumps yet, but he could do spins like nobody's business.

I watched Yakov's face as Yuri began his routine. A few sitting spins and a good salchow with a nice step sequence. With a little more practice, I'm sure he and I could get him to master a few jumps before the start of the season. But today seemed off. Yuri was a little shakier than he usually was. Even the simplest of spins he would miss. What was wrong with him? This wasn't like him.

"Call me when you're ready to make your comeback," Yakov shrugged me off, "Yuri! Go."

"Yes, Yakov," Yurio skated to the middle of the rink after putting something on from Violet's playlist, no doubt. The orchestral intro brought back a very warm memory for me. This was our song. Since when did Yurio skate to our song? Even stranger yet, why was he skating to our song better than I did? I guess Violet's been doing well with him. This had her written all over it. I don't know why I'm so surprised, though. She was the one that choreographed this routine in the first place.

I remember that night. We had gotten married earlier that day. She fought me tooth and nail about having a wedding. But we were in Rome. We were competing that night. God, she was beautiful that day. After our wedding, her eyes shined a little brighter. She put a little more energy in every single move. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she broke down in my arms at the end of our routine. I think that's what put us over the top. A few months later, we adopted the boys and it's been history ever since.

As the song came to a close, Yurio looked like he was ready to come apart. The look of sheer exhaustion almost broke me. If I had to judge him, though, I'd say he did the routine justice. Even though it was originally choreographed to be a doubles routine, he made it a single. And he made it his own. That might have been our song, but that was Yurio's program.

"You over rotated again, Yuri!" Yakov snapped as Yurio skated back to the railing.

"I know," Yurio panted over the rail, "I'm trying not to, Yakov. I really am."

"Don't listen to him, Yurio," I brushed him off, "Your rotation was fine. Your form was excellent, if I do say so myself."

"Victor," Yakov growled, "Are you the one coaching him?"

"No, but..."

"Then let me do my damn job!" If that didn't bring back memories, "Don't listen to him, Yuri. You listen to me and no one else."

"Yes, Yakov," Yurio nodded, "I'll try not to over rotate next time."

"You won't try," Yakov started to settle down a little, "You'll do it. There is no room for trying when you're competing."

Violet wasn't kidding. Yakov was unnecessarily rough with Yurio. That's going to take a toll on him, too. If he didn't blow Yakov off once in a while, Yurio was going to end up miserable. I knew how he could be. Maybe Yurio wasn't ready for this kind of thing. I shook everything off and watched Yuri attempt his own routine. Still a little shaky. What's the matter, Yuri? You're never like this when it's just the two of us. You're better than this.

Soon enough, our practice had come to an end and the three of us headed home. A long, quiet ride back to our penthouse. I unlocked the door and I heard Makkachin jump down from the bed, only to jump on my leg. I gave him a quick pet and put the boys down for a nap. While they slept, I poked my head in our bedroom door. Speaking of sleeping beauties...

"Vi," I whispered, "You awake?"

"Yeah," she spoke softly, "I'm up."

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" I asked.

"Like I'm dying," Violet groaned, "But I'll be fine. How was practice?"

"You were right," I confirmed, "Yakov is hard on him."

"Told you so," she pulled her blanket over her shoulders.

"Although," I went on, "I think he'll be alright. Yurio has thick skin. If not, he'll develop it."

"I hope so," I could see it all over Violet's face. She worried about Yurio more than anyone else. Not sure why, but she did.

"You need anything?" I offered.

"No," she sighed out.

"How about some of this, then?" I crawled in bed with her and like a magnet, Violet stuck to my hip, "Is this alright with you?"

"Always," Violet almost fell back asleep.

"Is there anything else you need for today that I should know about?" I asked, twisting my fingers in her hair.

"Yeah," she nodded, "Yurio's got dance lessons with Nat at one."

"Uh…" I drawled, "What?"

Not that I didn't like Natalia. It's just that every time I got around her, she turned into a puddle. I guess I had that effect on a lot of people. I can't help that. But I knew she wasn't ever going to be able to treat me like a normal person. I just hope she understood what boundaries are this time around. We wouldn't want a repeat of last time…

 **A/N: And we're going to leave it here. This is why. Because the next part deserves its own chapter. Trust me. And I cannot wait. Also, I missed having a Victor chapter. Victor chapters make me smile. Because he's such a cutie. See you next chapter! xx**


	13. Victor Might Not Got This

**A/N: Hi, guys! Before I forget, there's a thing I want to run by you all. This is basically for my records now. We'll talk more at the end, but! Today! It's another Victor chapter since Violet's still sick. And the same day as last week. We'll call this a part two. So, I'm going to shut up and you're going to read. But I'll have a question for you at the end and I'm really going to need some feedback for those reading in current time. We good? Ok. Time for me to attempt to shake a Russian accent out of my internal voice. But that's not happening anytime soon. Pray for me.**

I can do this. I've been dreading it since I put the boys down for a nap, but I could do this. I woke Yurio up this morning. How would this be any different? Other than the fact that he hadn't been sleeping long. And I didn't know how long he slept heavily. I couldn't hurt to test the water first, right?

I went into Yurio's bedroom where the little angel was balled up in the middle of his bed with his stuffed tiger. Slowly, I tried prying his tiger out of his arms, but I heard a troubling growl...and it didn't come from the tiger. Ok. Plan B. I let Yurio's tiger go and went down the hall to our bedroom, "Violet?"

"What, Victor?" my beautiful princess sat up in bed, "What do you want?"

"Just checking to see how you're feeling," I bit my lip. That usually turned her into putty in my hands.

"No," Violet saw right through me, "You need something from me."

"What?" I gasped, "I can't believe you'd think I'm so vindictive."

"You're making the face, Victor," she called me out.

"What face?" I continued to deny everything.

"The sexy face."

"That's my usual face, sweetheart."

"No, no, no," Violet pulled me down to the bed and knocked my ego down a peg or two, "This is a different sexy face. This is the 'I want Violet to do something for me' face. I'm sick, Victor. My libido is virtually nonexistent right now. Sexy face isn't going to work."

"Damn," I folded, "Can't fault me for trying."

"I'll ask again," she cuddled into me, "What do you want, Victor?"

"I'm scared to wake Yurio up," I confessed, "I tried taking his tiger away from him and he growled at me."

"I would, too, if someone tried taking my tiger away," Violet giggled, "Are you seriously afraid of waking Yurio?"

"If I say yes," I kept my fingers crossed, "Do you promise not to make fun of me?"

"I'll never let you live it down," she kissed my cheek and got out of bed. I felt horrible for making her do this, but I had no desire to go to the hospital for a tetanus shot today.

"Yuri," Violet spoke softly, sitting at the edge of our son's bed, "You have to wake up, dovahkiin. Auntie Nat's expecting you in the next half hour."

"Can I skip out on lessons today?" Yurio begged, still half asleep in his mother's lap.

"No," she cradled him, "Yakov would find out and he'd get cranky and work you twice as hard. Not to mention, he'd come down on me like the hand of God."

"Ok," his eyes opened up.

"Violet," I stared in amazement, "How did you do that?"

"It was easy," she shrugged, "I know how to work him."

"That wasn't easy," I followed her back to the bedroom, "That was witchcraft."

"I'm his favorite person in the whole world, Victor," Violet crawled back in bed, "Of course he's not going to get pissed at me for waking him up."

"I'm still chalking that up to witchcraft."

"No witchcraft," she promised, "Good luck."

"With Yurio?"

"With Natalia," she pulled the blankets over her shoulders and went back to sleep.

The first time I ever met Natalia was shortly after Violet agreed to move to Russia with me. At the time, my career was booming and I was one of the biggest skaters in the world. It's no surprise that a dancer would know about me. Especially a prima like Natalia. She was obsessed. Then, Violet took me to meet her teacher, the one that'd be choreographing her first program.

As soon as I stepped foot in her studio, I will never forget the look in her eyes as long as I live. It was like someone dumped an entire bottle of glitter in her eyes. For a moment, I thought she was going to pass out. The dropping of the bombshell that we were together was an entirely different monster. For a while, Natalia resented Violet for the plain and simple fact that she was the one that wanted me more than anyone else in the world.

When she found out that I wasn't exactly playing for her team, Natalia took it surprisingly well. Although, I still think she wishes she was in Violet's position. The only one in all of Russia to know our secret. The only one that could out me. That could end me. But she wouldn't do that to us. Natalia loves our boys almost as much as what we do and there's no way she would break that up.

Once Yurio and I got to her studio, like every other time I was there, her nose started gushing blood. At this point, I'm not surprised anymore. However, we've known each other for years. One would think they'd stop by now and she'd be used to me, "Hi, Natalia."

"Victor!" her heart stopped, "To what do I owe the honor and the privilege? Where's Violet?"

"The poor thing is sick in bed," I told her, "I've been running all of her errands all day. And Yurio does have a lesson today, does he not?"

"Of course," Natalia nodded, wiping the blood from her nose, "Just like every other day."

"Go on, Yurio," I gave him a little nudge, "Show me what you can do."

"You can go now," Yurio grumbled under his breath, "You don't have to stay."

"What if I wanted to stay?" I wondered.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes, "Just don't throw me off!"

"I won't," I took a seat in the corner and watched as Natalia guided him through his lesson. Wow...Yurio really was coming along. His leg could've been a little straighter and his balance could use some work, but his progress really did translate off the ice. I wasn't sure if that was Natalia's instruction, Yakov's coaching, or his mother's guidance. Maybe a combination of the three. I had done all three with Yuri, but Yuri was nothing like this.

As Yurio's lesson came to a close, he ran through his post stretching by himself with his headphones in while Natalia sat with me, "Victor, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," I allowed, "What's on your mind?"

"Why aren't you teaching Yurio?" she wondered, "I've never seen more flawless footwork than yours. Not even on my prima."

"Honestly," I chuckled a bit, "I'd love to teach Yurio. Something tells me Yakov wouldn't have it, though. And besides, I've been so busy with Yuri. I wouldn't want to take my individual attention and split it between the two of them. Not to mention, Violet's already done such a wonderful job with him. I wouldn't want to ruin that progress."

"You could only improve it!" she squeaked, "Victor, you're a god in the skating world. Your step sequences are heartbreaking and your choreography brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it!"

"I don't know," I thought it over, "Yurio probably wouldn't have it anyway. He's starting to take on some of Yakov's bitter qualities."

"I know what you mean," Natalia agreed, "Hold on...Yurio!"

"What?" he took one headphone out.

"Does Yakov know I'm your ballet teacher?" she asked.

"How should I know?" Yurio snapped, putting his earbud back in.

"I haven't seen Yakov in years," Natalia took a drink from her coffee cup that I was almost positive contained at least forty percent vodka. She had such a tolerance that it was practically water to her by now, "Is he still the same old, bitter son of a bitch he's always been?"

"He's gotten worse over the years," I admitted, "But he's still the same old Yakov."

"Vitya," she held my hand, keeping surprisingly calm. No...Not calm...Worried, "Keep a close watch on Yurio. For his sake."

"Why do you say that?" I gave her a look, "Do you know something I don't?"

"Not necessarily," Natalia went on, "I know you've dealt with Yakov before and you did for years, but he does work Yurio too hard. I could tell while he was running through warm-ups. Yurio might be his mama's little warrior, but because Yakov has probably drilled it into his head, he pushes himself more than he should. I'm starting to feel signs of strain in his legs. I worry about him."

"So do I," I let out a heavy sigh, "I don't think he realizes it, but I do. He is my son. Why wouldn't I?"

I knew that feeling of strain all too well. And mostly, it stemmed from Yakov pushing me. That's why when I listened to him, its clarity wasn't always there. Selective hearing, I guess. I knew that certain parts of me couldn't handle it and I knew my limits. I'm sure Violet has already had that talk with him. She always took care of my injuries whenever I'd come back beaten and bruised. Even when we had first met, I had torn ligaments in my knees and Violet took care of them for me. She would make one hell of a physical therapist if she'd go back to school and get certified for it, but alas, she stayed home with the boys. Or started coaching Yurio.

Yurio and I waved goodbye to Natalia and began our seemingly eternal drive home. The static between the radio stations was the only thing breaking the silence. Natalia's words about Yurio pushing himself burned in the back of my brain, making me worry even more about him. I couldn't help myself.

"Yurio..."

"What do you want?" he groaned, "Auntie Nat wore me out and I'm in no mood to talk."

"Fine then," I let him go, "I'll do all the talking and you can listen. Is that alright with you?"

"Do you want the honest answer to that or-"

"I'm sure you'll want to hear this," I promised.

"Whatever," he shifted around in his seat, "What?"

"You're on a fast track to do great things," I told, "I just don't want it going to your head."

"It's not going to my head!" Yurio jumped on the defensive almost immediately, "I'll be fine!"

"I know," I continued, "I want you to know it's ok to take a break once in a while, too."

"I do take breaks," he pouted, "I take one between training and lessons and then one between lessons and training when I sleep."

"Not what I meant," I clarified, "Taking a day or two off isn't going to kill you."

"I don't want to lose the muscle," Yurio laid his head on the door, "If I lose the muscle, I lose the day and if I lose the day, it's a waste of time."

"I understand that," I agreed, "But the occasional break is a good thing. Believe me. I did this for ten years and still do once in a while. Just know that I'm proud of you, Yurio. You've come a very long way and in such a short time."

"Why did you have to make it weird?" he screeched.

"What?" I shrugged, "I can't be proud of you?"

"You did it again!"

"Mama is," I threw in my trump card.

"That's Mama, though," Yurio settled down, "She's different."

Violet wasn't joking. She really was Yurio's favorite. Maybe I have been a little neglectful to him lately. I have been spending all my time with Yuri getting him all trained up for Juniors. Maybe I should consider coaching Yurio sometimes, too. Take a little bit of the mental strain off Yakov. Maybe that'll make him more pleasant.

As soon as we got home, Yurio dropped his bag at the door and the smell in the house hit us both like a brick. Violet's been cooking. When Chris and I were holed up in Violet's apartment in New York for the first few months of our relationship, her cooking was better than any restaurant I had ever been to in the world. And when she learned to cook Russian, it only made her that much more talented.

Still sitting on the counter and steam billowing off them were a pile of Yurio's favorite pirozhkis. When she made pirozhkis, Violet never told us what she had filled them with, but the faint smell of bacon hung in the air. Yurio made a beeline for the counter, nearly pushing me out of the way. I needed to find his mother. She should know better than to be cooking like this. Granted, I had all intentions of ordering takeout, but this was better. Yurio was content and I didn't have to deal with the delivery person gushing over me.

Sure enough, Violet had put a movie on for Yuri and they were both napping in the living room; Yuri on Makkachin's stomach and Violet on the couch. My pain in the ass American girl that could've had the stockbroker. But she got me instead. You were too much, sweetheart, but I love you all the same. You rest easy. I'm sure Yurio and I will live without you for the time being.

However, I wasn't going to leave Yuri on the floor. I scooped him up into my arms and like a reflex, he cuddled into my shoulder. It never got old. I resisted the urge to squeal a little bit. While his brother slept in my arms on the chair, Yurio proceeded to stuff his face with pirozhkis. Aside from Violet being sick and Chris being back in Switzerland, all was right with the world. I think I got this.

 **A/N: Alright! So next week's going to be back to regularly scheduled programming. And I think I might have next week be kind of the heavy chapter. There's going to be a little trouble brewing in the Nikiforov household. Also, I really want to make pirozhkis. They look so damn good…Mmmm…In my defense, I haven't eaten today and honestly, anything sounds good and food porn doesn't help. All that aside, I have that thing I want to ask you guys about!**

 **Do you think if I were to start posting another Yuri on Ice story in the week, it'd be overkill? Because *whispering* I've kind of started on one that I'm not going to go into too much detail about yet (despite the fact that I've got it outlined already), but I recently ended my Death Note fic, so I got my Mondays open. But I feel like I should only post one story per fandom in a week…So, overkill? No? Shut up and scrap it altogether? I'm genuinely asking you here. Would that be a thing you're on board with? Let me know, please. I'd really appreciate some feedback here. I'll see you next chapter! xx *still whispering* and possibly this coming Monday…**


	14. Never Miss a Beat

After three days of feeling like I was going to die, I could finally move freely again. Victor could go back to being my husband and stop nagging me like he was my mother. Don't get me wrong. I appreciated him taking care of Yuri and Yurio and the house while I was sick, but sometimes, he could be a tad insufferable.

And I needed to get out of the house for a while. I felt almost one hundred percent better, but I knew Victor would yell at me for pushing myself too hard. I had to be sneaky. While my boys were good and distracted, I slipped out of the front door with my gym bag in hand. If there was one place in all of St. Petersburg that would help me get my bearings back, it'd be here.

The skating rink always got me to center. And a nice, long session by myself at the rink would be just the thing I needed to get back into the swing of things. It felt like I had been off my feet for a month. And it showed. When I stepped onto the rink, I stumbled like a newborn deer fresh out of the womb. I was worse than Yurio when he first came out here.

Maybe before I start a routine, I do a quick practice run without any music? That'd be a good idea. I just need to keep my balance. That's all for now. Focus. I delved deep into that special place in the back of my mind that essentially worked like an off switch. I didn't need to do anything else but skate. Move forward.

I had a coach once that liked to blindfold me when I was off the ice for so long. People thought he was weird for that sort of thing and saw it as a kinky, sexual thing. Actually, his logic behind that was that my eyes wanted to play tricks on me. I didn't need to see to skate. I knew exactly where I was going. I knew what the rink looked like. I just needed to put my feelings on the ice. Unfortunately, he long since retired and I had to coach myself, but I didn't have a blindfold, so I just shut my eyes.

And landed a quad loop, first try. My coach might have been a little eccentric, to say the least, but he knew what the hell he was talking about. Being on the ice was so much more to me than a performance. It allowed me to let go completely. I could show the world every single facet of who I am and all it took was a pair of skates. Let's try a little music, shall we?

I scrolled through my phone, looking for something perfect to help my meditation even more. With the way this trip down memory lane has got me, I decided to pull out something to further my borderline religious experience. Besides, I always loved skating to Take Me to Church. Even more when I wasn't on ice and I was by myself in Natalia's studio.

I always loved a good, minor piano to dance to and some beautifully reverbed vocals. And for whatever reason, the music always reminded me of, in a kind of twisted sense, a ritual. Casting all inhibitions aside and acting on pure instinct, but all in the name of a higher power. Being both worshipped, but on the same token, being critically scrutinized at any given time. That was my skating career in a nutshell after Victor and I got married. Especially after he finished his last season.

When I was still skating, people loved me. I was known around the world and almost as notorious as Victor. And I was pretty damn good at what I did. Victor always told me he was better than I was, but only by a microscopic margin. But because Victor Nikiforov's ego is big enough for its own orbit and kept under the guise of being humble, that was personal growth for him.

Then, everything changed when we skated our last duet together, when Victor skated his final program. They all turned on me. Because I wanted him to come raise the babies with me, that made me the villain that took Victor Nikiforov away from the world. Little do they know, I begged Victor to keep skating. But he said he wanted to be more involved in the boys' lives, we settled on one last season.

I didn't miss the cattiness that came along with it sometimes, but with the time I've spent in this rink lately, I keep missing it more and more. I miss it so much. But I have a family to take care of. Victor was lucky his head was attached most of the time and he was only that much more scatterbrained while I was sick. Still, I'd kill a man to compete again. Maybe one more routine today. Just to get it out of my system.

How self-flagellating do I want to be today? I mean, I just got better from whatever plague cursed my body. Do I really want to drive a stake further in my heart? What the hell? Why not? I threw on a very familiar tale of a warrior wanting to save, no...Conquer the land. I had to choreograph Yurio's program anyway, right? I might as well. I'm almost sure this is what he's going to use. All I had to do was convince Yakov.

It's going to feel so strange, doing this from the perspective of the warrior and not the dragons. Let's do some broad sword slashes in the form of a double salchow. Yurio's good, but he's not good enough to do quads quite yet. At least I don't think he can do quads. Three days have gone by since I last saw him skate. Maybe he's finally landing them. Yakov jabbed him enough with a cattle prod.

No. Because Victor wouldn't have stood for it. And he was there practicing with Yuri anyway. I'm sure he kept an eye on Yurio, too. But according to Yurio, Yuri hasn't been skating very well either. When he told me, it was almost like Yurio was pissed. I could still hear him clear as a bell. Piggy's better than that, Mama. I've seen it! I never saw him so angry when it came to Yuri.

I hadn't been to one of Yuri's practices in quite some time. Not since I took him instead of Yurio. When I saw him, though, Yuri wasn't exactly the most graceful thing to step onto the ice, but he's trying. He had the determination where Yurio had the natural talent. Kind of like when I started skating. Victor and Chris were extremely instrumental in that.

They both held my hands while I took my first steps on the ice. I tripped all over myself and I thought Chris shattered his knee at one point, but we managed. Somehow. I missed those days. Before I hung up my skates. When I had put them on for the first time at that rink in Brooklyn. They spent most of their off season that year teaching me to skate.

Victor wanted to get me out of the burlesque scene and onto the ice from the moment he met me. I've always had fluid movements and when I was doing burlesque, I was only seen for my body. I might as well have been stripping, but I kept more of my clothes on. And our MC wouldn't allow us to take tips. Honestly, Victor telling me about how much he loved my form made me think he was just some other guy hitting on me. Never in a million years would I have expected this.

"You really haven't lost a step, Vi," a familiar voice broke the silence after the song had died out.

"Victor!" I jumped, almost falling on the ice, "When did you get here?"

"Around the end of your first routine," he took my hands, helping me back onto solid ground, "Flawless as ever, dorogoy."

"Thanks," I sat on the bench, "Damn, that felt good."

"You know," Victor wrapped his arms around me, "I sometimes wonder what would've happened if I would've stayed home with the boys and let you have one last season."

"Why?" I chuckled a bit, "So I really could've been branded as the bitch that made Victor Nikiforov retire? No, thank you. I'm enough of a pyriah as it is."

"No, you're not," he gave my nose a little swat, "Really and truly, though, Violet. You deserve another season. After what I just saw, I bet you'd go back to the Grand Prix Finals and take home gold."

"Probably," I agreed with him, "But no. I can't."

"Please?" Victor begged, "I'm sure I'm not the only one that would love to see you skate another season."

"No," I shook my head, "I got too much to take care of here."

"In that case," a little bit of a smirk graced my husband's face as he offered his hand to me, "May I have this dance? It's been far too long since you and I have skated together."

"Not since Barcelona," I blushed, taking his hand, "It'd be my pleasure."

"Any song preference?" Victor grabbed my phone.

"Surprise me," I retied my skates, "Victor?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Where are the boys?" I worried, my maternal instincts kicking into overdrive.

"Relax, Violet," he settled me, "I left them with Natalia. They're fine."

"Now that we have that out of the way," I stepped back onto the ice, "What are you doing here?"

"You up and left," Victor pointed out, "I had no idea where you were. I had to find you."

"I wasn't missing, though," I retaliated, "You knew where I'd be."

"Of course I did," he pulled me against his chest, "This is like a second home to you."

"It really is," I sighed out. Then, it dawned on me. Maybe a little table turning wouldn't be such a half bad idea, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Fire away," Victor had finally settled on a song anyway and started skating out to me with the sound remote in hand.

"What about you?" I wondered.

"What about me?"

"Would you ever consider coming back to this?" I took his hand.

"I would," he nodded, "On one condition."

I had a feeling I already knew what that condition was, "And what's that, my love?"

"I'd come back," Victor pushed the play button, "if you'd come back with me."

"Thought so," I laid my head on his chest, "Don't pin this all on me."

"If I were to make a comeback," he went on as the intro of our song began, "I'd want to enter in pairs and skate with you. In my ten years of skating, Violet, skating with you was always my favorite. Do you remember when Yakov would yell at us for getting to into our performance?"

"Celestino would, too," I giggled, "But he thought it was cute. Yakov, on the other hand..."

"I kind of miss Celestino," Victor got caught up in my nostalgia, "I wonder what he's up to these days."

"God only knows," I spun away from him.

"Until you and I make our comeback, Violet," he pulled me back, "We coach."

"Ok," I did my quad loop while Victor worked the nonexistant crowd. When I made my jump into his arms, I nestled my head in his shoulder, "You know, this is the most time we've spent alone together since we started coaching the boys. I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Victor gave me a quick kiss, "And you know what?"

"What?"

"We still got it," he held me a little tighter, "I think we have one more season in us."

"We also have two babies at home, Vitya," I reminded him.

"Technically, they're at Natalia's studio."

Smartass...I loved him, but I wanted to hit him all the same, "We're not leaving them with Natalia, so we can go globetrotting."

"Who said anything about leaving them?" Victor took a more serious tone, "I've already submitted Yuri's paperwork for the season. And Yakov did Yurio's, too. I'm sure we could tag along for that."

"As their coaches," I shoved my finger in his face, "Not competing."

"This isn't over," he put me down as the song finished.

"Hey, Victor..." I spoke softly, "Can I ask you a favor...?"

"A favor?" Victor perked up, "What kind of favor?"

"All this talk of you and me getting back into the game," I thought it over, "Can I watch you? Like I used to?"

"Just like the old days," he melted, "You were to scared to even step foot on the ice."

"Shut up!" I giggled, rolling my eyes.

"But you did!" Victor defended himself, "And you got your first beautiful bruise on your thigh the size of my fist."

"You're an asshole," I shoved him. But he caught my hand.

"For you, though, Violet," his lips brushed my knuckles, "It'd be my pleasure to do a routine for you."

"I feel so honored..." I swooned.

"You should." There it was. There was the ego I fell in love with. So Victor's getting cocky now? Alright. I could get on board with that. When he had that level of overconfidence, it always showed. Victor's ego never got in the way. They worked hand in hand. Just like we did.

And I wasn't the only one that hadn't lost my touch. Victor had the same fire he always did. I knew that wasn't going anywhere. Was I not the only one that missed the thrill of competition? That wasn't just my husband I saw on that ice. That was truly the one and only, the great Victor Nikiforov. And he was all mine...

Well...Not exactly all mine. I had to share once every few weeks, but the time in between? He was mine. I was the one that stole him from the rest of the world. The more I thought about it, the more ok I was. In fact, I was almost proud. Maybe too proud. Victor's routine must have had me in a trance. Yep. I'm not the only one that hasn't missed a beat.

 **A/N: Don't get me wrong. I love my babies, but sometimes, Mama and Daddy need some alone time and I don't know about you guys, but this is probably my favorite chapter to date. And that's saying a lot, considering my favorite chapter before that was Victor and Yurio spending some quality time together with the story of how he and Violet met. Thems some big shoes to fill.**

 **Sooooo…I know I kind of teased a new YOI fic last week and that it was going to become my new Monday slot. Well, I opted against it and this is why. Because in a couple months, this fic's going to be over anyway (I know. Brace yourselves, my children. If it's any consolation, I've had the ending relatively plotted out since the beginning of February, I think…), so when this is done, I have a new YOI fic on deck. And it's another AU, but a little heavier on the romantic Victuri than the parental Victuri like this one.**

 **But instead of that fic taking my Monday slot, I've done a reboot of my Black Butler fic, if you'd care to give that a lookity doo…Writing for Black Butler is what got me started on this site and it's giving me a really weird full circle feeling. Anyway, see you next chapter! xx**


	15. Not THAT Talk

**A/N: Would eating disorders warrant a trigger warning? If so, here it is. This is a heavy chapter, guys. Hang in there, kids. It'll be ok.**

It's getting down to the wire. We had our first competition coming up soon. If I remember correctly, competitions made Yakov cranky. Or maybe it wasn't the competition. Just his competitor. Victor had a habit of making Yakov's ulcers flare. And I don't think he realizes it. I guess I could chalk that one up as one of Victor's many adorable quirks.

"Welcome back, Violet," Yakov greeted me as Yurio and I walked into the rink, "You're not still sick, are you?"

"No," I assured, "Perfectly healthy."

"Good," he sat down, "I wasn't sure how much more of your husband I could take."

"There's nothing wrong with my husband," I jumped on the defensive right away.

"Other than he never listened to me in the ten years we worked together," Yakov grumbled, "One man's flaw is another woman's attraction, I guess."

"So," I tied Yurio's skates for him, "What did I miss?"

"Show her, Yuri," Yakov gave him a nudge. And as soon as I had his other skate tied, he practically ran out to the ice. It almost made me nostalgic for the first time I brought him here. I'm just glad he didn't have a nosebleed after that. Yurio and blood never really mixed.

Once Yakov turned his music on, Yurio began. Some sort of classical piece with a lot of energy. Instantly, Yurio's energy matched. I've never seen something like this out of him. His splits were cleaner. He stuck all of his jumps. He's landing his triples. I couldn't be prouder. It's like watching Victor before he retired.

"You know, Violet," Yakov scoffed, "Maybe you can talk some sense into him. Yuri's almost worse than Victor."

"Worse?" I gave him a look, "Yuri's on the same level, if not better than Victor. And he's still so young."

"I'm not talking about his skill," he clarified, "I'm talking his attitude. The only difference is Victor was more pleasant to deal with."

"Mama," Yurio skated over to the railing, "Did you see?"

"I did," I praised, "And you've come a long way from eating the ice, baby. I'm proud of you."

"I want to learn your Lady Marmalade routine," he picked, "Teach it to me."

"No," I shook my head, "Not happening."

"That's what I want to do for competition," Yurio demanded, the fire in his eyes burning brighter.

"I never did Lady Marmalade on ice, Yuri," I explained, "It was my burlesque routine. You're way too young to do something like that."

"I can handle it."

"You're. Too. Young," I put my foot down. There was no way my baby would ever do one of my burlesque routines. Either one of them. Although, I never see Yuri doing anything risqué. Yurio on the other hand?

"Can I at least see it?" he asked.

"God, no!" I squeaked, "Not from me anyway. And not until you're much older."

"Why not?" Yurio pouted.

"Because," I thought of a way to word this without having to give him the talk, "I don't want to have to put you through years of extensive therapy. We're done with this."

"Violet," Yakov broke us up, "Do you know where his costume for competition is coming from?"

"I do," I nodded, "I've already started sketches on it. Yuri, what's your next choice after my Lady Marmalade routine?"

"The Tale of the Dragonborn," Yurio skated lazily around the rink.

"What's that?" Yakov asked.

"One of my old routines that Yuri's tweaked over the last few months," I filled him in, "I told him I'd choreograph for him, but he's done a better job at it than I did."

"Really?" Yurio perked up.

"That's right, baby," I promised, "Come on. I need to take measurements and we need to stop by the fabric store on the way home."

"So, where is his costume coming from?" Yakov wondered.

"I did all of my costumes when I was competing," I took out a measuring tape, "I can do Yuri's, too."

"We can't have a professional do them?" he dug his heels in.

"I am a professional," I assured, "I can do things, too, Yakov. Dovahkiin, come here!"

Yurio kicked his skates off and stood in front of me. So nice when he listens. Maybe he's just not listening to Yakov because Yakov's a bitter son of a bitch. Or he just loves me more. That's probably the reason, "I'd still rather him going through an actual designer."

"I'm his coach just as much as you are," I reminded, wrapping my measuring tape around his waist. Strange. Last time I took the kids' measurements, Yurio had a twenty-four-inch waist. Now, it's twenty-two, "Yuri, when did you lose weight?"

"I don't know," he shrugged.

"You must be in the middle of a growth spurt," I figured, "I guess I'll have to bring my sewing kit when we start traveling."

"Sure," Yurio seemed off. There was something not right with him. He usually got pretty moody and distant when he was about to hit a growth spurt, though, so that's to be expected. The two of us took a quick stroll through the fabric store and headed home. He didn't fall asleep in the car on the way either.

When we walked in the front door, Makkachin attempted to lick me to death as per usual. At least one thing was going the way it should, "Go lay down, Yuri."

"Ok, Mama," Yurio shuffled into his bedroom for his usual morning nap.

"It's good to see Yurio's feeling better," Yuri chimed in, getting a juice box out of the fridge.

"What do you mean, Yuri?" I wondered.

"I think he caught what you had, Mama," he assumed, "I heard him throwing up in the bathroom after breakfast."

In those few words from my baby's mouth, I thought I was going to throw up. My stomach turned and my heart ached as my worst fear had been confirmed. I picked Yuri up and hugged him tight, "You just did a very good thing, Yuri. You may not even realize it, but you did a very good thing."

"What did I do?" he asked so innocently.

"Go to your room," I put him back down, "I need to talk to Daddy for a minute."

"Ok," Yuri and Makkachin went into Yuri's room and I went into Victor's office.

"We need to talk," I sat down, hardly able to stand anymore.

"What's the matter, Violet?" Victor joined me on his futon, holding me against his chest, "Is everything ok?"

"Victor," my voice shook, "We need to have the talk with Yurio."

"Um," he blushed a little, "Isn't Yurio too young for the talk? Chris and I went over that the last time he was here and even he said it was too soon."

"Not that talk, you moron," I glared a hole through my idiot husband, "Do you remember why I got out of skating?"

"To raise the boys."

"And?"

"And because you developed an..." All of a sudden, everything clicked in Victor's head and he understood the gravity of the situation, "Oh...No...Not Yurio..."

"I think so," I choked out, "Yuri told me he heard him throwing up this morning before we left."

"Maybe he's just not feeling good," Victor settled me.

"No," I shook my head, "Because he would've shown that on the ice. I've never seen that kid crank out such a flawless routine than what I did at practice today."

"Where is Yurio now?" he worried.

"He's taking a nap," I told, "Yurio's skipping lessons today and we're going to let him sleep."

"Ok," Victor cradled me, "But Yurio, though? Honestly, my money would've been on Yuri having this problem before Yurio."

"Victor," I felt a few tears escape my eyes, "I'm having some really bad war flashbacks."

"It's alright, Vi," he comforted, "You don't need to worry. We'll get through this just like we did back then."

I hoped to God that when those boys decided to take up skating that we'd never ever have to have this talk. My worst nightmare was coming to life with one of my favorite little boys in the whole world. Not my Yurio. Not my little warrior. He's too strong for this. To succumb to that kind of a weakness. A few hours later, Victor and I went into Yurio's room and as per usual, I sat on the edge of his bed.

"Yuri," I whispered softly, trying not to cry again, "Wake up, baby."

"Mama," Yurio nuzzled into me, catching a glimpse of Victor in his peripherals, "Why is he here, too?"

"Are you feeling ok?" I worried, putting my hand to his forehead, hoping I was just overreacting.

"I'm fine," he looked over my shoulder at the clock on his wall, "I'm late for lessons!"

"No, you're not," I stopped him, "We're not doing lessons today."

"But I have to," Yurio struggled to get out of my arms, "Yakov said I had to do lessons every day to keep the muscle up."

"Yuri, listen," I held him tighter, "I need to tell you a story. It's not going to be an easy story to tell, but you need to hear it."

"Fine," he caved, "What is it?"

"There was a girl," Victor began, "She was an excellent dancer and an even better skater."

"That's right," I continued, "Although, she started eating only to keep up appearances. When she did eat and everyone else had gone, she'd either do an extremely rigorous workout or she'd go force herself to throw everything up before it had a chance to hit her stomach."

"Why?" Yurio started to look a little nervous.

"Just so she wouldn't gain any weight," I went on, "Because if she gained any weight, it'd throw off her balance."

"And what happened...?"

"She'd get dizzy at practice," I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from crying, "Her energy was virtually nonexistent. She might as well have been dying. But that was a long time ago."

"And now?" he asked.

"Well..." This may not have been an easy story to tell, but this part was my favorite, "She started eating a little better. Her boyfriend at the time taught her how to cook more from his home country. And she married him. And they adopted two little boys together."

"That was you?" Yurio's eyes doubled in size.

"It was," I confirmed, "Now, is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

"Well," he let out a little sigh, "Yakov told me I needed to lose weight before competition started."

"Did he now?" my worry turned into anger really quick. Yakov's been telling Yurio to do a lot of things lately. Amazing what happens when I turn my back for three days, "Well, Yuri, you don't have to worry about Yakov being your coach anymore. It's just you and me again."

I knew it. I knew having Yakov coach Yurio was going to be a bad idea. I knew it in the pit of my soul. Fortunately, I had already been through this kind of thing enough to know what to do and we wouldn't have to bring anyone else into this. My integrity as a mother would stay intact and I could take care of my son.

Later that night, I had Yurio help me make dinner just like Victor did with me. The kid could make a killer gravy, I'll give him that. And I watched him closely while he ate. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he had just come out of the woods after a month on his own and found a buffet. And when dinner was done, I kept him on my hip to make sure he wasn't going off to the bathroom.

The next morning, I woke up with all intentions of going down to the rink alone. Yurio needed the sleep and his body needed the rest. As I crawled out of bed, an arm pulled me back in, "Where do you think you're going, young lady?"

"Down to the rink," I tried to get out of Victor's grip, but he was a lot stronger than I was, "I thought I'd get in a good routine by myself."

"Violet," Victor knew better, "Don't do anything rash."

"I'm not going to do anything rash," I assured, keeping a level head, "Besides, I just want to talk to Yakov. I'm sure he's there by now."

"Violet," he saw right through me, "Why do I have the feeling you don't want to just talk?"

"I just want to talk," I peeled his arm off me, "That's it."

"Should I start collecting your bail money now?" Victor teased.

"We're just going to talk," I rolled my eyes, kissing my husband's cheek, "I'll be back in a little while."

"Be sure to stretch first," he advised.

"We're just going to talk."

"I meant with your routine," Victor clarified, "I love you."

"Love you, too."

And with that being said, I grabbed my gym bag, kissed my little angel's forehead, and left for the rink. Sure enough, right where I suspected he'd be, Yakov had shown up probably half an hour before Yurio and I would. However, he probably wasn't expecting just me without the baby.

"Yakov!" I called out.

"Where's Yuri?" Yakov gave me a look.

"He's still in bed," I went into full on, overprotective, tiger mommy mode, "Did you tell Yuri he needed to lose weight before competition?"

"Da," he nodded, "A few weeks ago. If he's going to get more height on his jumps, he's going to need to be lighter. That's just simple physics."

BAM!

I threw a strong, right hook in Yakov's jaw, catching him entirely off guard and knocking him on the floor. And if I didn't have the stellar self-control that I managed to have, I probably could've killed him with my bare hands right then and there. But Yakov wasn't worth going to prison over. Yurio's going to get better and everything's going to be fine.

"What the hell was that for?" he screeched, spitting the blood out of his mouth.

"We're done," I growled, "You're not coaching Yuri anymore."

"Why?"

"Because," I was half tempted to knock him out, "Since his coach told him he needed to lose weight, my son developed an eating disorder and it's all your fault!"

"And who's going to replace me?" Yakov scoffed, "You? The washed-up, has-been, that was once one of the best, but she left to play house with the greatest thing to ever happen to the sport? Pathetic."

I threw one last punch to his face, "It's no wonder Lilia left you! Dasvidaniya, suka*."

And just like that, I was out the door, my knuckles rapidly bruising, but I didn't care. I knew Victor was going to bitch at me when I got home, but it was entirely worth it. Maybe Celestino wasn't up to anything these days and would coach Yurio with me. No. Yurio and I got by just fine without Yakov. We could do it again.

 **A/N: So, I'm sure the burning question on everyone's mind. Why did I give Yurio the eating disorder? This is why. I want you to go back to the Agape performance and look at how tiny Yurio is. Poor baby looks like he could stand a sandwich or six. Not to mention, in this kind of a situation, it's actually a common problem. But I promise next week is going to be a brighter chapter. I have a terrible habit of putting a little bit of hurt into everything I write. It's a curse.**

 **Now, since I got you here and we are on the topic of my little Yurio, can wE TALK ABOUT WELCOME TO THE MADNESS? SWEET JESUS! THAT WAS INCREDIBLE! I'VE NEVER HAD SUCH AN EYEGASM IN MY LIFE! LIKE HOLY SHIT! THAT BOY IS NO LONGER AGAPE. THAT WAS EROS IF I EVER SAW IT. AND I WAS SO PROUD! AND THEN OTABEK AT THE END?! As far as I'm concerned, the Otayuri ship has sailed off into the sunset. I AM SO HAPPYYYYYY! *nose gushes blood***

 **See you guys next chapter…If I don't die from nose blood loss…xx**

 ***Translation: Bye, bitch. Essentially the middle finger to Yakov**


	16. Baby's Day Off

Ring...

Ring...

Come on. Pick up. You're only a couple hours behind me and I know you're up early anyway. Come on. Pick up, pick up...

"Hello?" an excited voice chimed on the other end. Thank God. If anyone's voice could make me feel better aside from Victor, it's his.

"Hi, Celestino," I melted over the soft Italian accent in my ear.

"Violet!" he sang, "Ciao, bella! Come va?"

"I'm a little out of sorts," I sighed out, sitting on the front steps of our building with Makkachin at my feet, "I could use some words of wisdom."

"I think you should," Celestino decided without even hearing me out first. Good to know he hasn't changed.

"Should what?" I don't think he even knew what he was talking about.

"Aren't you conflicted on whether you should make your comeback or not?" he assumed.

"No," I clarified, "I'm coaching now."

"Good for you, Violet!" Celestino praised, "Which one of the boys are you coaching?"

"Yurio," I gave Makkachin a good belly rub.

"So, what's got you nervous?" he asked.

"We have our first competition coming up," I vented, "I probably haven't had a decent night's sleep in the past three days. I mean, it's great for the dog because he could stand the early morning walks, but it's killing me. What do I do, Coach?"

"First," Celestino began, "You need to relax. The first competition is next week, right?"

"Yeah."

"Take it off," he suggested.

"Uh, Celestino," I wondered, "Did you start early this morning or are you still drunk from last night?"

"Neither," he chuckled a bit on the other end, "But I'm serious. Take this entire week off. If you're not relaxed, your skater's going to pick up on that and it's only going to make him more nervous. And since you're coaching little Yurio for Juniors, I'm assuming?"

"That's right."

"He's much more perceptive than you think he is," Celestino went on, "But really, Violet. Take the week. Do you remember when you were competing? We never skated the week before our first competition. And why is that?"

"Because you were buried in a cathouse?" I teased.

"Because I wanted you to fully rest up," he scolded me, "And the cathouse was so I could be relaxed, too. Sometimes you need to take care of yourself."

"Or have a few promiscuous young ladies take care of you," I bit my tongue almost immediately.

"You have your way," Celestino let me go, "And I have mine. How good is Yurio?"

"I'll send you videos from our last practice," I promised, "He's getting really good."

"If you taught him, Violet," he encouraged, "I'm sure he's amazing."

"Thanks, Coach," I blushed a little, but my good feeling was short lived, "But..."

"What's the matter, tesoro?" Celestino worried, "What aren't you telling me?"

"It's about Yurio," I shivered, "I wasn't the only one coaching him for a while."

"You and Victor?"

"Me and Yakov Feltsman," I cringed at the memory.

"Really?" Celestino squeaked, "You had Yakov Feltsman coaching with you?"

"Not exactly," I explained, "He was practically killing Yurio on the ice."

"Yakov doesn't have a reputation for being the sweet and cuddly type," he jabbed.

"But he made Yurio sick," I pushed through, "Like the way I was sick for a while."

"Oh..." Celestino's amusement dissipated, "How's he doing now?"

"Yurio?" I figured, "I got him to eat dinner last night and watched him like a hawk. He kept it down. Fortunately, we caught onto it before it could get to my levels."

"I owe Victor everything for that," he remembered. One minute, I was going into my hotel room in Tokyo. The next, I woke up in a Japanese hospital with an IV in my arm and Victor sleeping in the chair next to me with his hand in mine, "You got better, Violet. Yurio will, too. Just keep an eye on him. I hope you gave Yakov the boot."

"Oh, I gave him the boot," I assured, "I gave him a couple boots to his jaw."

"Violet!" Celestino screeched, "You punched Yakov Feltsman?!"

"He was hurting one of my babies," I growled, "You're damn right I punched Yakov Feltsman."

"I guess that's understandable," he allowed, "Did you at least try to talk it out first?"

"Yurio gets an eating disorder because of this son of a bitch," I scoffed, "And you ask if we used our words?"

"I'll take that as a no," Celestino guessed, "But really, Violet. Yurio will get better. Don't overfeed him, though. You remember what that was like."

"You took me back to Rome with you and introduced me to your mother," I giggled, "I don't think she let Victor or me leave her kitchen for a couple days."

"You don't say no to an Italian mother when it comes to food," he laughed with me, "That's for sure."

"Thanks, Celestino," I felt my worries drain out of my body, "Really and truly. Thank you."

"You can be retired all you want," he assured, "I'm always going to be your coach. You were one of my favorite skaters. And I really hope you do come back to the ice one day. But since you're only coaching these days, I guess that's ok, too. Buona fortuna, bella."

"Grazie," I smiled, "Maybe we'll see each other again soon. I think we should be making a stop in Rome this year. You'll come out, right?"

"Of course," Celestino promised, "I'm insulted you had to ask. You'll do great, Violet. Just keep him relaxed and focused."

"I will."

I got off the phone with my old coach and just as I predicted, everything fell into place and I felt a million times better. I missed Celestino. He was a damn good coach. And patient. Yakov would get pissed off at Victor for coming to help me. Then again, I couldn't blame him. That meant Victor taking off for a couple days without any notice. It was nothing for Victor to get a call from Yakov and he'd be in a different country or even on a different continent. But Celestino wouldn't ever fight it. Victor was always welcome in our rink. Mostly because he was already so established.

I really do miss those days. I don't miss waking up in the hospital in Tokyo. I don't miss Yakov yelling at Victor and me when we'd practice a couples routine and it'd turn into Victor being adorable with me. But I missed the ice. I missed the look on Celestino's face when I'd bring back some shiny gold hardware. I missed seeing the world. I missed the crowds, the lights, the outpouring of love and support from the fans. Maybe one day I will go back to the ice and I'll go back to competing, but for now, I had a little warrior to take care of.

Relax, huh...? Celestino may have still been slightly drunk from the night before, but maybe he was onto something. Between the tensions that Yakov was NOTORIOUS for and getting Yurio back to being ok, I have been a little on the stressed side. I nearly punched Victor yesterday for sneezing. However, that could probably be the lack of sleep talking, too. I knew exactly what I needed. But first, I had to get my baby up.

I unhooked Makkachin from his leash and he pitter-pattered his way to our bedroom to snuggle up with Victor. It's amazing how he either gravitates toward Victor or Yuri, but when Makkachin wants to cuddle with Yurio, no matter how many times Yurio says no, he wouldn't leave his side. It's been that way since the day we brought him home. Rather adorable, if I do say so myself.

As per usual, I sat at the edge of Yurio's bed, letting him sleep just a little longer. When the sun shined through his bedroom window, it almost gave my little angel a perfect halo. But it'd shine right in his eyes and make him squinty in his sleep. And I, for one, found that downright precious. We'll get you better, baby. I promise you.

"Yuri," I scooped him up in my arms, "Wake up, dovahkiin. It's that time of the day again."

"Good morning," he nuzzled his face in my shoulder, slowly opening his eyes. But then, he caught a glimpse of the clock, "It's so late, Mama...Why did you let me sleep so late?"

"What do you want to do today?"

"What?" Yurio wasn't following, "What do you mean?"

"Just that," I reiterated, "What do you want to do today?"

"Shouldn't be at the rink today?" he wondered, "Our first competition is next week. We should be working overtime."

"We don't have to," I cradled him, "You've been working so hard, Yuri. You could stand to take a day or two off."

"But," I could tell. Yurio was skeptical, "So close to competition?"

"That's right," I nodded, "But before we do anything, I need to make a call to Greta and get my nails done."

"Why?"

"Because," I told him, "I was told that I needed to relax and that's how I relax. Inhaling the fumes of nail polish and acetone."

"Can I come, too?" Yurio asked. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was excited.

"Sure, baby," I kissed the top of his head, "Go get ready and we'll leave before Victor and Yuri wake up."

"Ok," Yurio jumped out of bed and dug around in his dresser for something to wear. Looks like I'll have to rearrange his drawers again. There's two hours of my life I'll never get back, but oh, well. With the exception of Yurio in the shower, the entire house was quiet. Even Makkachin had gone back to sleep, occupying my side of the bed. I moved the puppy out of the way and curled into my husband's ribs.

"Well," a little smile graced his face, "You're not furry enough to be Makkachin, you're too big to be Yuri, and you're too small to be Chris..."

"Dobrye otro, Vitya," I spoke softly.

"Good morning," Victor wrapped his arms around me, "And where are you going this beautiful morning, my beautiful wife?"

"I'm going to take Yurio out for day," I told him, "If that's alright with you."

"That's fine with me," he allowed, "Only if it's alright that I take Yuri to the rink for the day. Competition's coming up, Vi. You nervous?"

"Not at all," I laid my head on his chest, "I talked to Celestino this morning when I took Makkachin out. A wise man, Celestino."

"That's true," Victor agreed with me, "And what did he have to day?"

"He told me to..." I stopped myself, "Hold on. I'm not going to give you my coach's wisdom. You're the competition. Trying to get in my head, Victor?"

"I'm always in your head," he teased, "Am I not?"

"Shut up," I rolled my eyes, "You're such a dork."

"But I'm your dork," Victor stole a quick kiss from me.

"Mama!" Yurio yelled from the hall, "I'm ready!"

"Duty calls," I kissed Victor's cheek, "Go back to sleep."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Victor rolled back over, "I love you, Violet."

"Love you, too."

Before we left, I took a quick peek in Yuri's bedroom. Sound asleep. I'm sure if he woke up early, he'd just go into our room and lay in bed with Victor anyway. And just like that, Yurio and I were off to see Greta. The dragon scales she so delicately painted on my fingers last time had started to chip off a few days ago and were nearly nonexistent now. Unfortunate, but that meant a new canvas for her to work with and a new piece of art on my fingers.

"Hello, Mrs. Nikiforov," the receptionist greeted me, "Full package today?"

"No," I shook my head, "I have an appointment with Greta."

"Yes," she nodded, "Go ahead."

"Thank you," I smiled politely and took Yurio's hand, going back to Greta's station.

"Violet!" she sang, "I forgot you were coming in today. I got a last-minute appointment for you this morning. How are you?"

"Not too bad," I sat down with Yurio in my lap, "I got competition coming up next week and things are starting to come together."

"That's wonderful," Greta chimed, "I can't wait to see you skate, Yurio."

"We've been working hard these past few months," I watched her push my cuticles back, "Hopefully, it'll pay off."

"That still looks like it hurts," Yurio winced.

"I promise it doesn't," I swore, "Care to try it? That way, I won't have to do it."

"Ok..." he got down from my lap and took a seat next to me. Yurio sat patiently waiting for a nail tech with nothing better to do until Greta flagged one down.

"Hey, Ingrid!" she called out, "Are you busy?"

"I don't have an appointment for another hour," the pretty dark haired girl came over, "Why?"

"Could you take care of him for me, please?" Greta requested, "I have my hands full here."

"Really?" she looked over at Yurio.

"Yes," Greta insisted.

"But he's so little..."

"He's not your first one," Greta pointed out, "Not even your first one this week. Didn't you have that one from out of the country in here the other day?"

"My last name is Nikiforov," I gave her the incentive, "I leave nice tips."

"Fine," Ingrid sat down with Yurio, "Aren't you adorable?"

"I'm not adorable," Yurio pouted, "I'm a warrior."

"That's right, baby," I agreed.

"That doesn't mean you're not adorable," she poked a hole in his logic, "I'm Ingrid. What's your name, little warrior?"

"Yuri," he introduced himself, putting his hands on her table, starting to warm up to her a little. Yurio was still a little apprehensive about this whole situation, but the more he spoke with Ingrid, the more at ease he became. Before too long, he began to embrace it. Yurio didn't even know she was there. Amazing how quick she got him to settle down. Even I wasn't that good.

He still watched Greta, though. Every little brush stroke she did, Yurio followed it with his eyes, hypnotized by every move. But I didn't need anything as elaborate as what she had last time. This was competition time. I only had one thing on my mind. Anything gold. If I ever came to Greta for a touch up while I was still skating professionally, she'd always give me flecks of gold in my polish. Just a little reminder of what I was after. It was almost my good luck charm. Even though Yurio had come so far with his skating and his choreography, we'd still need all the luck we could get.

Once Greta was done, Ingrid was done, too. Yurio's fingers were clear coated with a little bit of shine to them. He didn't need all the reflective gold jazz I had. If they were going to need color, I could take care of that while we're jet setting around the world. I should pick up a bottle of black polish while we're out, too. That wouldn't be a half bad idea.

Yurio and I left Ingrid and Greta behind and I was in perfect alignment again. It's odd how something as simple as a manicure could make me feel better. If we had the time and I was by myself, I'd stop and see Sasha, too. But that would end up with me taking a half hour nap on his table. I couldn't do that, though. I had Yurio with me. He'd get so bored so quick. Not to mention, he doesn't need to see his mama with another man like that. Hell, he didn't even need to see Victor and me like that.

Little did my baby know, I had a surprise for him. Celestino told me that we both needed to be relaxed and focused. And I knew the exact place that would put a smile on Yurio's face. I wasn't going to tell him. This could manage to be a complete surprise for him. Yurio could use the surprise. Especially when he sees where we're going.

"Mama," Yurio looked out the window, "Where are we going?"

"Do you remember," I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to hold back a smile, "A few months ago when Uncle Chris was here? Do you remember what we did?"

"I try not to," he grumbled, "What about it?"

"Come on," I pulled into a parking spot, "I got a surprise for you, but you have to close your eyes, ok?"

"Fine," Yurio shut his eyes and I threw him on my back, "How long do I have to keep my eyes closed?"

"Until I tell you to open them," I brought him inside and sat him on the floor, "Stay here and keep them closed."

I took out the kitten that imprinted itself on Yurio last time we were here and put her in his lap. The warm, soft fur was enough to make my poor baby jump, "Mama, what is this?!"

"Open your eyes, sweetheart," I beamed. And just as predicted, Yurio's face lit up. I hadn't seen him that happy in far too long.

"Mama!" he squealed, snuggling the kitten in his arms, "She's still so soft. Can we take her home?"

"I'm sorry, baby," I cringed, "You know we can't. But I told you that day that we could always come see her. And she hasn't left."

"Who wouldn't want to take her home?" Yurio gushed, "Her toes look like little jellybeans and her fur looks just like a tiger's stripes. What's not to love? If we could, we'd take her home, wouldn't we, Mama?"

"I don't know how well she'd get along with Makkachin," I thought it over, "But if we could, after you win gold at Juniors, Victor and I would talk about it. Although, you do know I'm pretty persuasive."

"Maybe we can just get a different apartment," Yurio suggested, "That way we can have Makkachin and my kotenok, too."

"Do you know what that entails?" I giggled at his naive nature, "We can't just up and move, Yuri. That means selling the penthouse, finding a new one, packing, moving...And all this before competition? Sorry, sweetheart. You'll have to be ok with seeing your kitty here."

"But what if she gets adopted?" Tears started to form in the corners of his eyes. Not good.

"Tell you what," I promised, "How about I talk to the shelter about holding her until we get a different place to live? One that will allow more than one pet. Then, you'll be able to visit her anytime you want and she won't get adopted."

"Ok," Yurio kept playing with the kitten he loved so much.

I hated having to keep them apart. But we can only have one pet in our unit and we ended up getting Makkachin. If Yurio would've had his way, we would've walked out with a cat, but because Victor can say no to Yurio easier than he can Yuri, we got the poodle we've all come to know and love.

After squeezing her paws and petting up her back for a while, Yurio and I left his kitten and decided on ice cream. With the way his eating has been lately, Yurio could stand the sugar buzz and the calories. He kept lunch down, so I could give him a little reward. And after the Mountain Dew, bouncy castle incident, Yurio learned quickly how to handle himself on sugar.

"Here, Yuri," I put a big sundae in front of him, "I want you to eat the entire thing."

"Ok," Yurio's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. In his defense, this sundae had more toppings on it than one had the right to, but he'd be ok. I still had to keep an eye on his weight for competition, but at this point, Yurio could stand to gain more.

"Yuri," I asked, watching him go to town on his ice cream, "You haven't been going in the bathroom anymore, have you?"

"No," he shook his head, "I didn't like throwing up, Mama. I should've stopped, but it gave me results."

"Not good ones," I scolded, "Never again, got it?"

"I won't," Yurio promised, tearing through his triple scoop.

"Good," I had a bad flashback to being in the hospital. Dare I scare Yurio straight with that story? No. That'd give him nightmares and Yurio didn't deserve that, "How about after we're done here, we go to the rink? Sound good to you?"

"You had to ask?!" Yurio squealed. I knew that would get him all excited. After leaving his favorite kitty, he was pretty bummed, but a trip to the rink might be just what he needed to relax. I had my manicure. Celestino had call girls. Yurio's got the rink. A little workaholic, just like his mama.

Looks like Victor and Yuri had this place shut down for the day. When we got there, the whole rink was empty. Once Yurio had his skates on, he did a quick triple toe loop. One more turn and he would've had Victor's form down. I remember the first time I watched Victor skate. He didn't need to open his mouth to hit on me. His skating spoke volumes. I'm sure Chris thought the same thing. And I really couldn't blame him for that.

"Alright, Yuri," I scrolled through my phone, "What song?"

"I want to do the Tale of the Dragonborn," he demanded.

"No," I shot him down, "This isn't competition practice. This is for sheer enjoyment. What's your favorite routine to do when we're in our downtime?"

"Honestly," Yurio thought it over, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing."

"Really?" I awed, "One of these days, I should show you the competition footage of Victor and me."

"Can we skate it together?" he asked. It did my heart good to know that Yakov didn't entirely beat Yurio out of him.

"Of course," I turned the music on and laced up my skates, "Do you remember how the pair choreography works?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "Keep up and don't get in your way?"

"That's my boy," I snuck a quick kiss on his forehead and waited for the vocals to kick in. That's when things took a record scratching turn. Yurio didn't know I had the remote in my pocket. And I might have changed it from I Don't Want to Miss a Thing to some Bubblegum Bitch.

"What's this?" Yurio worried, "This isn't the music I picked."

"It's something different," I told him, "It's something you've never skated to before. Show me a good freestyle, Yuri. Make me proud."

"I don't even know what I'd do for this one," he freaked.

"Follow me then," I started with a quick sitting spin and a good body roll. Only for Yurio to respond with a triple axel into a strong pirouette. Alright. Kid wants to battle, we'll battle. Yurio was definitely shedding the primadonna and becoming a true bubblegum bitch. He still had primadonna in him. That's not going to change. That was one of those little Victor things that Yurio's picked up, but if I were to tell him that, he'd never forgive me. Every move, we'd only one-up each other. That's how a two-minute song feels like an eternity. Although, I think we went through Bubblegum Bitch, Primadonna, and Pity Party before the two of us collapsed.

"Mama," Yurio caught his breath, "Can we stop for today? I think I pulled something."

"I know what you mean," I sighed out, "That was fun! I forgot what it was like to battle like that. It was an honor and a privilege, Yuri."

"So, who won?" he wondered, "If this was a battle."

"We can chalk this one up to you, dovahkiin," I allowed, "Mama doesn't have much of it in her anymore."

"That's not true," Yurio got back on his feet, "You're still the best, Mama."

"Thanks, baby," I love my son some days. Well, all days, but some days, he really makes it hard to hate him, "Come on. Let's go home."

"Ok."

It didn't take long for Yurio to clock out in the backseat. Honestly, if I wasn't driving and carrying precious cargo, I'd be right there with him. We've been going steady since this morning. I could stand a nap, too. I carried him inside and sat him on the couch, laying my own head on the arm. My feet were throbbing and my head was killing me, but I wouldn't trade today for the world.

For the first time since Yurio decided to step on the ice, we actually went out and had fun. Good, clean, senseless fun. And no one could take that away from us. I'm just glad Yakov wasn't waiting at the rink for us. I'm pretty sure the pop to the jaw got my message across. Celestino had a point. Blowing off steam like this once in a while isn't a half bad idea. And now, I had my son sleeping soundly on my hip, happy as a clam, content with the world, ready to crush any competition in his way. I had faith in him. You're going to go on to do great things, Yurio. With or without Yakov.

"Violet!" Victor called from the door, "We're home!"

"Shut up, Victor!" I scolded him, barely speaking above a whisper.

"Sorry," he came into the living room, getting a quick kiss.

"Where were you?" I asked.

"Yuri had his final costume fitting," Victor said, "And we had practice all morning. What about you?"

"We took the day off," I pulled Yurio's hair out of his face, "Got my nails done, went to see Yurio's kitty, got ice cream. We just got back from the rink. He's pretty damn good, Victor. I couldn't be prouder."

"You know," he pulled my head back, getting an even better, deeper kiss, "You're an amazing coach, Violet Nikiforov. Let no one tell you otherwise."

"You ran into Yakov, didn't you?"

"This morning, I might have," Victor came clean, "You just wanted to talk, huh?"

"Yeah…" I bit my lip, "About that…"

"I understand," he took my hand, "If I wasn't such a pacifist, I would've, too. How's he doing?"

"Yurio?" I cuddled him, "Tired. Fed. Leave him alone, Victor. Don't start screwing with him just because he's asleep."

"I won't," Victor promised, "Remember? Waking him up makes me nervous. What makes you think I'd wish angry Yurio on you?"

"Thank you," I rested my head on his shoulder, ready to fall asleep right then and there. Victor's shoulder had special powers. Like taking Ambien, but without the side effects it has on my body. We learned from that. It made me sleep, but…the rest of it wasn't exactly pretty. But! I had my boys. I had my pup. I had heavy eyelids. It's nap time. It's definitely nap time.

 **A/N: Hi, guys! We needed a chill chapter. After last week's debacle of Yurio with the eating disorder and Violet punching Yakov, we need to remember that Yurio's still but a child…even though I'm still recovering from Welcome to the Madness…But we're going to be getting into competitions soon, so we got that going for us. See you next chapter! xx**


	17. Mama's Little Warrior

Celestino was definitely onto something when he said to take the week off. I'm glad we did. For the first time in months, I woke up without any of the old war wounds coming back to bite me. Mostly in my hip and it couldn't be more heavenly. And it was the first time in months I actually got to bond with Yurio over something outside of skating. I missed that. However, my elation would be very short lived.

Because today was the day. Today would mark the first competition my boys would ever skate in. As their mother, I couldn't wait to see Yuri and Yurio skate against each other. On the other hand, as a coach, I really couldn't wait to see Yurio wipe the floor with Yuri. Does that make me a horrible mother? I feel like that kind of thinking makes me a horrible mother.

"Mama!" Yurio scrambled, "Where are my skates?"

"They were next to Yuri's," I grabbed Yurio's water bottle out of the dishwasher and filled it with apple juice.

"Where's that?" he squeaked.

"In the closet, Yurio," Victor stepped in.

"What about my costume?" Yurio asked.

"That's at the rink already," I promised. That's the plus side about their first competition being at their home rink. Not even time yet and I'm already exhausted. I had to pull an all nighter the night before getting Yurio's costume done and an all nighter last night doing Yuri's because Victor's scatterbrained mind forgot to contact a seamstress for that sort of thing. Amazing how quick I could hammer something out for him. Mama was going to need to get some sort of liquid energy before competition, so she actually looks like a competant coach. God knows word of what happened with Yakov probably spread like wildfire, "Boys, go wait in the car."

"Ok!" Yuri took Yurio's hand and they took their bags outside.

"Vi?" Victor worried, "Are you ok?"

"Relatively," I screwed on the lid, "But I'll be fine."

"Relax, sweetheart," he wrapped his arms around me, "You're going to work yourself too hard and that's going to translate into Yurio's performance. Don't let him see you sweat and he won't sweat either. I promise you'll do great and Yurio will, too."

"But," I melted in my husband's embrace, "It's their first competition, Victor..."

"It'll be fine," Victor poked my nose, "Don't work yourself up. I know that's easier said than done for you, but don't work yourself up. You'll end up passing out and then, Yurio will be out a coach."

"He's got you, though."

"If Yurio wanted me to coach him," he chuckled, "He would've asked me. That's what he's got you for. You need to relax, Violet."

"I know," I sighed out, "And I will once the season's over."

"No," Victor scolded, "You'll get some time between competitions. You know this. I know it's been a while for you, but you know how this works."

"I need a nap," I rested my head on his shoulder.

"After today's competition," he suggested, "How about we get Natalia to watch the boys and you and I get dinner and drinks? Sound good?"

"Da," I agreed, "That sounds amazing."

"You deserve it," Victor kissed the top of my head, "Let's go see the fruits of our labor, shall we?"

"Good luck," I smiled.

"Davai."

With that one little word, I went back six years in my head. My first competion. I didn't think I was going to be able to do it. My nerves were on high and my fear was dragging me down. Celestino was doing all he could to keep me from spiraling too much, but nothing was working for him. Then, a man came up behind me and hugged me tight, whispering one, lone Russian word in my ear. And everything was ok again. The look on Celestino's face when he found out I was close with Victor Nikiforov was rather priceless.

We had this. The competition was ours.

Once we got to the rink, I went to sign Yurio in. He watched over my shoulder, confused, "Mama..."

"Yeah, baby?" I dropped the pen back on the table, drawing his position number. Third. Not a bad place to be. It's not first and it's not last.

"Why did you write Yuri Plisetsky?" he wondered.

"Because," I explained, "There can't be two Yuri Nikiforovs on the bill."

"Why did you put Plisetsky, though?"

"My last name wasn't always Nikiforov, Yuri," I giggled, "That was my last name before I married Victor."

"Does this mean," Yurio's eyes grew wide, "Victor's name isn't going to be on any of my records?"

"No," I shook my head, "Yours will."

And I never saw that kid so happy. Not since I told him he could go on the ice for the first time, "No one will know I have any connection to Victor?"

"Nope."

"Where are you in the lineup?" Victor asked, Yuri in hand. "We're third," I told him, "What about you guys?"

"First," Yuri cringed, "I didn't want to be first."

"It'll be alright, Yuri," I comforted, "Don't worry about it. First isn't too bad to be. Someone's got to start the show. Why not you?"

"Ok," he still wasn't totally on board, but he'll learn. I wouldn't want to be first, but I wasn't going to tell Yuri that. He's already a walking bundle of anxiety. I didn't want to make him worse.

"Victor," I gave him a nudge, "Take care of him."

"I will," Victor assured, "He's my son, too, Violet. If I couldn't by now, I don't deserve him."

"Come on," I took Yurio's hand, "You need to go practice."

"Ok," Yurio wasn't going to fight me. That fire in his eyes was back and he was about to kick ass and take names. When we walked out to the rink, a couple other skaters were doing laps around the rink and a couple jumps. They weren't bad, but they weren't Yurio.

"Go ahead, baby," I laced up his skates, feeling an icy presense over my shoulder that snuffed the flame out.

"Thank you," he ran out onto the ice.

"Yakov," I grumbled, not even bothering to turn and look at him.

"Violet..." Yakov watched while Yurio landed a double axel, over rotating at the end, "I see Yurio hasn't gotten any better. But then again, he hasn't gotten any worse."

"Don't bother," I snapped, "I know what you're trying to do and I'm really not in the mood to deal with you right now."

"Fine," he let me go, "He might not be Yuri, but my skater is taking home hardware today."

"If you say so," I brushed him off and walked over to my husband, "Have I mentioned my disdain for Yakov Feltsman lately?"

"Every chance you get," Victor giggled, "Why? Did you see him?"

"He's trying to be intimidating," I smirked, "Not working."

"That's my girl."

"Did you see that, Mama?" Yurio skated over to the railing.

"Yeah, I did," I praised, "But you over rotated your double."

"If you're over rotating," Victor thought, "Maybe you could try going for a triple."

"Yeah!" Yurio gave it a shot, only to fall on his hip, "You told me to try it!"

"Keep working at it, baby," I settled him, "You'll get it. And we could have it down by next competition."

"I want to put it in this competition's routine!" he pouted.

"Try it one more time," I insisted, "If you get it this time, you can use it."

"Ok!" Yurio skated out to the middle, getting the speed he needed and took one big jump. Not only did he cleanly land a triple loop, but he probably had enough momentum to go for a quad, "I did it, Mama!"

"Yes, you did!" I hugged him, "I'm so proud!"

The announcement to clear the floor for the first performance was made and it was Yuri's turn. To no surprise, my poor baby was shivering by the bench. Luckily, Victor had it, "Yuri, what's the matter?"

"I'm not ready, Daddy," Yuri freaked, "I'm not near as good as the others."

"Yes, you are," Victor assured him.

"No, I'm not!"

"Yuri," I got down to his level, "You can do this. How are you supposed to be one of the best skaters to ever grace the sport if you don't go out there? Besides, I was one of the best. Daddy was one of the best. You will be, too."

"But what if I fail?" Tears started welling up in his eyes, "What if I don't even place?"

"Quit whining, piggy," Yurio growled.

"Yurio!" I snapped, "Not the time!"

"Well, I'm not standing on that podium alone!" he argued, "And you're good enough to be up there, Yuri! So, stop your crying and go skate!"

Wow...Now, I felt kind of bad for yelling at him. I loved Yuri, but sometimes he did need a little tough love. And right now, Yurio was the best one to give it to him. Neither Victor or I had the heart to yell at Yuri unless he really did something bad. Yurio wouldn't hesitate. His brash attitude was enough to get Yuri to settle down.

"Thank you, Yurio," Yuri wiped his eyes.

"Don't get all sentimental now," Yurio brushed him off.

"Come on, Yuri," Victor took our baby's hand, "You need to get ready. Opening ceremonies give us a little time."

"Good luck, sweetheart," I gave Yuri a quick kiss and his father shortly after, "You, too."

"Thanks, Violet," Victor hugged me tight, "You're a hell of a coach. Let no one tell you different."

"We should probably get you ready, too," I untied Yurio's skates, "You all loosened up, Yuri? Ready to go?"

"Ready!" There was no breaking his confidence today. Good. Yurio needed that. And he was so kind to share his confidence with his brother, "But Mama..."

"Yeah?"

"Before I get ready," Yurio asked, "Can we stay and watch Yuri first?"

"Of course we can," I allowed, sitting the little angel on my shoulders. Sometimes, I forget how sweet Yurio could be. His attitude could manage a little readjusting from time to time, but he had his moments.

And I see I'm not the only one that took a more medieval theme. Victor, too, had taken a page out of my book. It wasn't exactly uncommon for Junior competitors to use fairytales for their themes. They were just babies after all. More complex themes were generally reserved for the Senior division. But Victor had picked hope for Yuri's theme and along with that, his first routine would be to I See Fire. Odd. Victor usually picked instrumentals. I wonder what made him change his mind.

"Mama," Yurio tapped on my head, "I want to try skating this song."

"Maybe one day," I bounced him, "But for now, your music is already slated."

"I know," he watched intently while Yuri spun and danced on the ice. Yuri had definitely improved since the last time I watched him skate. But it wasn't enough to shake his younger brother. Yurio couldn't be more ready to jump down from my shoulders and throw his skates back on. I had to put him down, though. The kid was killing my neck.

Once Yuri's routine came to a close, the crowd went nuts. He wasn't bad, but all the sudden applause would startle the hell out of him. Yuri waved his final goodbyes to the audience and waited to hear his score, sitting comfortably on his father's lap. He struggled to catch his breath, consumed by the anticipation.

88.73. Respectable.

"Did you see it, Mama?" Yuri ran over to me, jumping into my arms, "I did so good!"

"Yes, you did, Yuri," I hugged him, "See? Nothing to worry about."

"But I'll still beat you," Yurio threw his two cents in.

"Yurio," I sighed out, "Let him have his moment."

"I don't think so."

"Violet," Victor reminded me, "It's trash talk. You remember that, don't you?"

"I didn't trash talk," I beamed, "I was a good girl when I skated."

"You're one of the rare ones," he teased.

When the crowd had settled down, another skater had glared a hole through Yurio. And Yurio, with his short fuse, wasn't going to let that go, "What's your problem?"

The boy didn't even dignify that with a response. He came off kind of cold. Such a shame he had that at such a young age. No kid deserved to have such a chip on their shoulder. However, no matter how cold he seemed, he had that same spark Yurio had. And that made him nervous.

"Did you know who that was, Yuri?" I asked him.

"I think he said his name was Altin," Yurio thought it over, "He bumped into me on the ice during practice. He could never keep up to me. He's not from around here either."

That must have been who Ingrid and Greta were talking about, "You're not afraid he'll beat you, are you?"

"Of course not!" Yurio squeaked, "I could skate circles around him.

The lights dimmed and he began his routine. Vivaldi's Four Seasons. I could get behind that. By the sounds of it, he skated to Winter. Appropriate, considering where we were. A little tongue-in-cheek for my taste, but he's not my skater. That's not my decision and not my problem. But this kid was good. Damn, he's really good! Most of his jumps were triples, but he went for a quad and fell hard on the ice.

"Mama..." Yurio shook a little, "He's really good..."

"Relax, Yuri," I settled him, "Come on. Let's go get you ready."

I was really proud of Yurio's costume. I worked my ass off on it. And Yakov wanted to go with a professional. We didn't need a professional. We had me. And not only did I have Yurio's costume done, but I had Yuri's in a day, too! Bite me, Yakov! Yurio's costume looked like high quality leather armor, which it should have. What else would the son of dragons be wearing? And the scorch marks were a nice touch, too. Good for you, Violet.

Just as I tied the last piece of Yurio's costume in place, I felt a wind in the room. And it was enough to blow out the little fire in my baby's belly, "What's the matter, Yuri? You look like you lost your best friend."

"He was so much better than me," he worried, "I'm not going to place, am I?"

"Listen to me," I centered him, "What are you here to do, dovahkiin?"

"Conquer…" Yurio spoke meekly.

"That's right," I nodded, "What are your mobs? What are you fighting?"

"My fears," he started to come around, "Being sick…The jumps I couldn't land…The spins I couldn't get."

"And your final boss?" I asked, "Who do you want to beat more than anyone?"

"Yakov," he growled. There it was…

"You got this," I gave him a quick hug, "You ready?"

"A little…"

"Come on," I smiled, "That doesn't sound like my dovahkiin. Are you ready?"

"Yes!" Yurio bared his teeth.

"There he is!" I pulled him onto his feet, "Let's go."

And Yurio walked out of that locker room with a false cockiness that would get him through, but he was still a tad uptight. I had to do something. When I gave the sound guy Yurio's program music, I told him to kill the main vocal track. If anything was going to get that kid to settle down…I stood with Victor and Yuri by the separation.

"Yurio!" Victor squealed, "Davai!"

I could feel Yurio's eyes roll from here, "Victor, settle down."

"Fine," he gave me a look, "What's with the microphone, Violet?"

"You'll see," I assured. It's been a long time since I sang in the dragon's tongue. This wasn't just Yurio's performance. Once the music started, Yurio almost looked surprised to hear my voice. He always calmed down when I was around him. I figured my voice bouncing around the walls would really get him to relax.

And damn, if I wasn't right. I've never seen Yurio give such a lively, energetic performance. Every jump, perfect. Every spin, immaculate. The routine as a whole, flawless. He slayed and conquered the lands he came in contact with. And he had the entire audience on their feet. I couldn't be prouder of my baby. He's come so far and so quick. Then again, I wasn't sure if their applause was for him or for me. Maybe both?

With great excitement, we waited to hear Yurio's score…

89.04!

Worth every single moment we spent on that ice. Every drop of blood spilled. Every sleepless night. It all came down to this. And we nailed it. Even better, we did it without Yakov. Yurio and I earned this moment in the sun. And if I didn't know any better, I'd think there was a tear coming out of my son's eye…

"Yuri?" I worried, "You ok?"

"We did it, Mama…"

"Yes, we did," I kissed the top of his head.

Just as we were coming back, the kid from earlier stopped us, "Hey…"

"What?" Yurio immediately jumped on the defensive.

"You were great…" the boy couldn't even make eye contact.

"Thanks," Yurio was skeptical and had every right to be.

"Good luck this season…"

Weird. He just left. I think Yurio might have just made a friend. Or a rival. Because one Yuri wasn't enough. The four of us sat and waited with baited breath while the judges made the final tally of the scores.

"Yurio!" Victor squeezed him tight, "I'm so proud of you! You did so well!"

"Let me go!" Yurio squirmed out of his father's arms.

"I'm proud of you, dovahkiin," I took him away from Victor.

"Thank you, Mama," he cuddled into my shoulder.

"In third place," the announcer called, "With a score of 86.92, Otabek Altin."

"So, that's what his name is," Yurio shrugged, "He's good."

"In second place," the announcer continued, "With a score of 88.73, Yuri Nikiforov."

"That's my boy," I awed.

"Hold on," Yurio thought it over.

"And in first place…"

"Does that mean…?"

"With a score of 89.04…"

"No way…"

"Yuri Plisetsky!"

"ME!" Yurio jumped up, "I WON!"

"That's right, baby!" I cheered, "Go get your medal!"

Yep. Yurio was now successfully in happy tears. And now, we had to go home and pack up. With both Yuri and Yurio placing as high as what they did, it's time for the next round. In the next couple days, we were going to have to make a flight to Japan. Our next competition's in Tokyo.

 **A/N: I'm so sorry this is up so late. I've had a very busy day. But on the plus side, Yurio won! And he's made a new friend. I wasn't going to have Yurio call Otabek an asshole like he did originally. They're still so little. But now, we're going to be in Japan soon, so we have that to look forward to. See you next chapter! xx**


	18. Movie Night

Natalia was a godsend. I loved my boys, my little champions, but sometimes, Mama and Daddy need some time to themselves to unwind. Especially after a competition like that. We learned after the last time Victor and I left Yuri and Yurio home alone (it was five minutes and we came back to Yuri duct taped to a chair and Yurio throwing goldfish crackers at him). Luckily for us, we had Natalia. Victor brought me to the nicest restaurant in all of St. Petersburg and got the best bottle of merlot. It's been way too long since he and I had a proper date. No better place to start than dinner.

"You know, Vi," Victor gushed, "I'm proud of you and how far you and Yurio have come together. After what you dealt with given the whole Yakov situation and Yurio getting sick, I'm so proud that you've both overcome so much more than what you deserve. And you deserved that win today."

"I miss this, Victor," I sighed dreamily, "I miss the feeling of competition. That pit in your stomach before you go on. The roars of the crowd. Coaching Yurio today felt like the weirdest out of body experience, but it was like coming home. And I miss it."

"Me, too," he agreed, "I know exactly what you mean. I got my one last season. You didn't. You didn't even get to announce your retirement."

"I don't even think they realized who was coaching him," I assumed.

"You did say his last name was Plisetsky, though," Victor pointed out, "You don't think that jostled something in their heads?"

"The last name Plisetsky in Russia?" I chuckled, "You really think that's going to stand out very much?"

"True," he giggled with me, "He might have blended in with his name, but you know that performance stood out. What made you take the mic like that?"

"Poor baby was shaking in the locker room," I confessed, "He needed to settle down or his performance would've suffered. What better to get him to calm down than me?"

"I never knew how fluent you were in Dragonspeak," Victor awed.

"I've played a lot of video games in my lifetime, sweetheart," I sipped from my wine, "I know many a fictional language."

"You know many a language, period," he played with my fingers, "That comes with world travel."

"And a hell of a translator."

"Violet," Victor asked, "If you had the opportunity now to return to the ice and go back to skating professionally, would you?"

If that wasn't a loaded question, "It wouldn't really be too farfetched. With Yuri and Yurio in Juniors this year, it's not like we'd be leaving them at home. And with you coaching Yuri, it's not like I'd be leaving you. I don't think I could juggle being Yurio's coach and my own skating career at the same time. Not to mention, I wouldn't want to take away from the boys. They're currently making a name for themselves and I wouldn't want my career to overshadow that. Right now, this is Yuri and Yurio's thing."

"Well," he smiled, "What if we were to make a comeback together? That way, you wouldn't be the only one handling double duty."

"Not right now," I put my foot down, "The boys are currently our top priority. Let's get them to the Grand Prix Finals and then, we can talk about next season."

"You know," Victor held my hand, "We're going to be back in Japan tomorrow."

"Tokyo," I beamed, "I loved being in Japan. The sights, the sounds, the everything. Aside from my home countries, Japan may be my favorite one I've ever been to."

"Are you going to be ok?" he worried, "Last time we were in Japan, it wasn't exactly pleasant."

"Victor," I scolded him, fully aware of what happened the last time we were in Japan. Something I'd rather not dwell on, "I'll have you. I got the babies. And I got better."

"I know," he nodded, "But if you start having flashbacks, I can coach Yurio through Japan, so you don't have to strain yourself."

"I'll be fine," I promised, "I appreciate your concern, but I'm pretty sure I'll live."

Victor let out a heavy, exasperated sigh, completely done with me, "Stubborn as always, aren't you?"

"I'm American," I shrugged, "Of course, I am. You knew that before we got married."

"And we still got married anyway," he blushed, "And the two reasons we did that are following in our footsteps."

"Their mama's, their daddy's, and their uncle's," I topped off my glass.

"Do you remember the last time we skated together?" Victor got nostalgic.

"I broke my ankle," I remembered, "And we still skated. I didn't tell anyone until I told you on the ice to be gentle with me. Celestino was pissed and he damn near killed me over it. In hindsight, I probably should've sat that one out."

"I don't want Japan to be like that for you," his voice shook, "If you get bad, I want you to tell me. Rival or husband, I worry about you, Violet. You keep too much to yourself. You know you don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders alone."

"Have I told you lately," I blushed, "how much I love you?"

"I love you, too, dorogoy," Victor settled down a little more, pouring more wine for himself, "A toast then?"

"To our boys," I smiled.

"To us," he added.

"To Japan," I really couldn't wait to go back. If it weren't for my trip to the hospital, Tokyo would've been perfect, "You know, Victor, it's getting pretty late. We should start heading back."

"What do you mean, it's getting late?" Victor scoffed, "It's barely ten o'clock."

"We also have a flight in the morning," I reminded him. Where I had my stubbornness, Victor was scatterbrained, "Or did you forget that?"

"I might have let that slip my mind," he bit his lip, "Let's go get the boys."

My beautiful, idiot husband paid our tab and the two of us headed to Natalia's apartment. She was going to take them to her studio to let them get some practice in with their individual step sequences, but those boys needed a night off as much as what Mama and Daddy did. I just hoped that Nat had the good sense to leave her vodka alone while Yuri and Yurio were there.

"Hey," Natalia answered her door, appearing to be in good, sober spirits, "About time! These two have been nothing but trouble."

"Really?" I gave her a look, "Because it's dead silent in here."

"Ok," she admitted, "You caught me. Yuri and Yurio are asleep. Have been almost since you two left them here. By the way, congratulations on the win, Violet. I didn't see you beating Victor."

"Settle down, fangirl," I teased.

"Honestly, Natalia," Victor confessed, "I think Violet might be a better coach than me."

"Don't even," I shut him up, "But thank you, Nat."

"Nervous about Tokyo?" Natalia worried, "Especially since last time..."

"That's both of you tonight!" I squeaked, "If I'm not sweating, you shouldn't be either. Yes, I was in the hospital for not eating last time we were in Tokyo. Yes, I was on feeding tubes for a couple days. Yes, it sucked. But am I nervous about going back? Hell no. I'm so ready to go back to Tokyo with my head high and my heels higher."

"That's my girl," Victor kissed the top of my head, "Where are the boys sleeping, Nat?"

"Couch," she directed us to our two little babies sleeping soundly on opposite ends. Victor took Yuri and I took Yurio and we brought them out to the car, strapping them in, "Both of you...Davai."

"Thanks, Nat," I hugged her tight and the four of us headed home. I had a lot to do before even thinking about going to sleep. Victor was kind enough to put the boys to bed, but I had Yuri's bag to pack, Yurio's bag to pack, and my bag to pack. Fortunately, Victor was a big boy and could do that much himself. Once I had everything all said and done, I threw myself into bed.

And stared at the ceiling. For the next hour. Or two, "Victor…?"

"Yes, Violet?" he hummed.

"I can't sleep."

"Me either," Victor sympathized, "I can only scroll through my phone for so long. On the plus side, though, I got a new recipe for lasagna."

"Silver linings, I guess," I giggled, "We have a flight in five hours and we need to get some sleep."

"What do you propose we do?" he pulled me against his chest.

"I'd love to go to the rink," I cuddled, "But I don't want to leave the boys."

And for whatever reason, something sparked in my husband's head. Normally, I'd be heavily alarmed, but in my delirious state, I was up for anything, "I have an idea."

"We need to mark it on the calendar."

"Meet me in the living room," Victor gave me a quick kiss.

"Ok?" I wasn't quite sure where he was going with this, but I went out to the living room with a blanket off our bed and got comfortable. On our coffee table, I already had a cup of chamomile tea waiting for me, "Victor, what are we doing?"

"Well," he joined me with tea of his own, "Obviously, we can't go to the rink, so I thought I'd bring the rink to you."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"YouTube is a gift, isn't it?" Victor paired his phone with the TV and brought me back a few years. These were the old tapes from our competitions. It didn't matter. His, mine, ours, we went through so many, "I kept a playlist of our routines."

"Oh my god," I gasped, "Weirdest time capsule ever."

"You were so beautiful back then," Victor pulled me to his hip, "It's good to know you haven't changed."

"There's no way I could skate like that anymore," I laid on his chest.

"Of course you could," he swatted my nose, "Don't give me that."

"But my moves there are so perfectly fluid," I pointed out, "Now, with the way my joints are, I couldn't be like that."

"I'm sure you could," Victor assured, "With a little loosening, you could."

"You're blindly optimistic, aren't you?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Mama…? Daddy…?"

Uh-oh…We woke the baby. Strike that. _Babies_. Yuri and Yurio got onto the couch with us, "What are you two doing awake?"

"We're too excited to sleep," Yurio nuzzled his way to my hip.

"What are you doing?" Yuri laid his head on Victor's ribs.

"Watching some old footage from our time on ice," Victor held him, "You both can watch one video and it's back to bed."

"Deal!" they both agreed; Yuri cuddling with Victor and Yurio cuddling with me.

"Alright then," Victor put on one of my favorites.

"No one can do swing like us, baby," I cuddled closer to him, "Give us Sinatra and we'll give you a show."

"Damn straight," we shared in a high five.

"Shh…" I hushed him, noticing the sleeping children in our lap.

"You tuck in Yurio, I'll tuck in Yuri?"

"Meet back in the bedroom?"

"Deal."

Victor and I went our separate ways with our separate children. I brought Yurio into his bed and got him all settled with his tiger and his pillows and his blanket I made for him when we brought the boys home. All of his essentials. With one little kiss, I left my little champion to sleep and went back into the bedroom. We had a flight to board in three hours…

 **A/N: Hi, guys! I promise next week we'll be in Tokyo. We needed some Mommy and Daddy alone time. And Victor did promise Violet a nice dinner after the competition. So, next week, we're about to have another MASSIVE component of the series introduced. And if you can guess what it is, you get a virtual cookie redeemable at any time. See you next level…err…chapter! xx**


	19. Broken Record

"Victor..."

"Yes, Violet?"

"You didn't sleep at all, did you?"

"Nyet. You?"

"Nope," I stared up at our ceiling like a total zombie. I had no idea what was keeping me up. It's not like I was nervous. Yurio's performance was amazing last night. He's going places and I couldn't be prouder. Yet for some ungodly reason, sleep eluded me.

"Do you want me to wake the boys?" Victor offered, "Even Yurio? I learned to wear oven mitts when I wake him up, in case he does bite me."

"No," I cuddled into him, "I appreciate it, but I can do it. Besides, I can just sleep on the plane. You did book our flight, didn't you? You didn't forget to do it?"

"Of course I booked our flight," he assured, "Don't worry, Vi. Everything is taken care of."

"Thank you," I pulled myself out of bed, "Pray for me."

"You have my prayers," I got a quick kiss from my husband and started toward the other bedrooms. Yurio never was one for mornings and with his sleep being just as sketchy as mine, he's only going to be that much worse.

Nevertheless, I had to soldier on. If it meant leaving for our next competition, I'm sure Yurio won't be too cranky. A little bitter, but that was just a part of his personality makeup at this point. And a little scrappy, but honestly, I think he gets that from me. Back when I was living in New York, it wasn't exactly uncommon for me to get into barfights. Then again, I was also coming off a burlesque show and those assholes were getting handsy.

"Yuri," I spoke softly, "It's time to wake up, sweetheart. We have a flight for Tokyo to board. And Victor has records there that you're going to shatter, right?"

"Into oblivion," Yurio mumbled into my side.

"That's my little dovahkiin," I smiled, "Good morning, baby."

"Good morning," he rubbed his eyes.

"You can sleep on the plane," I promised, "I know. I'm still tired, too. But sleeping on the plane is no different than sleeping in the car. You know that."

"I know," Yurio cuddled into me, "Will you carry me?"

"Always," I kissed his little cheek, "But for now, I have to go wake your brother."

"Why can't Victor do that?"

"Because he's busy loading the car," I put my baby on his feet, "Get your shoes on and get your jacket. I'll be out in a minute."

"Ok," Yurio shuffled around his room, looking for his jacket, while I got up and went across the hall to Yuri's room. Usually, Yuri was the easy one to get up, but this morning would prove to be a different monster. I found him balled up in his blankets like a hamster.

"Yuri," I nudged him. Nothing, "Yuri, wake up."

Still nothing. Fortunately, I knew the one person (with the most impeccable timing) that could successfully get Yuri up, "Still sleeping?"

"Yeah," I bounced our son in my arms, "He's out cold."

"Yuri," Victor took him from me, "It's time to wake up. We're leaving for Japan in an hour and you have a competition to win."

"Hey," I shot him a glare, "How do you know we're not going to win?"

"I don't," he kissed my cheek, "But how do you know we're not going to win?"

"Wake up, Yuri," I brushed him off, "I need to prove your father wrong and we can't do that without you."

"Ok, Mama," Yuri spoke barely above a whisper, feeling around his bed for his glasses, "But we're still going to win, right, Daddy?"

"We can try," Victor cuddled one of our babies while the other was probably out like a light in the car already.

And I couldn't blame him. I was either going to be fueled by caffeine or borderline dead the whole trip. Victor and I got the boys and Makkachin in the car and our luggage and headed for the airport. But we had one more stop to make before we get on our flight.

"Mama," Yurio asked, "Why is Makkachin coming with us?"

"Because," I explained, "Auntie Nat's going to keep an eye on him while we're gone."

"We can't just leave him in the house?"

"Think of it this way," I put it into perspective, "What would you do if Victor and I left you in the house by yourself for the next couple weeks?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "Duct tape Yuri to a chair again and throw Goldfish at him."

"No," I shook my head, "Yuri's not there either. It's just you."

"I'd find a way to take care of myself."

"Makkachin doesn't have thumbs," I pointed out, "So, he has to have someone take care of him."

"And he'll get into my steamed buns," Victor scolded the puppy in the backseat, "Wouldn't you, Makkachin? You can't be trusted."

Makkachin curled up in Yuri's lap, laying his head in shame. Victor couldn't be mad at that face for long. And Makkachin knew we weren't going to be home for a while. No more Victor belly rubs. No more me occasionally slipping him bacon while I'm cooking. No more Yuri grabbing at his tail. No more looks of indifference from Yurio. For the time being anyway.

Knock, knock.

"What?" a half dead groan came from the other side of the door.

"Thanks for watching Makkachin, Natalia," Victor beamed.

"What am I doing?" Natalia fell over leaning on the doorframe.

"Are you ok, Nat?" I worried.

"I worked three clubs last night," she grumbled, "I'm fighting a hangover and I have to work a private party tonight. I want to go back to bed."

"Alright," I gave her Makkachin's leash, "Sorry to be dumping all of this on you, sweetie."

"It's really no problem," Natalia brushed me off, "Good luck in Tokyo."

"Thank you," I gave her a quick hug and we headed off to the airport.

To no surprise, when we were boarded, the four of us were ushered to first class. I loved Victor to death, but he is the most extra human being I've ever met in my life. Occasionally, I happened to benefit from his being extra, but most of the time, I'm sure we could live without it. Not that I'm complaining about first class.

At this point, I could care less where we were. I had my one flute of champagne. I had a pillow. I had Victor placed strategically around my body. I wasn't waking up until we hit Japanese airspace. That meant twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep. Worth it. Entirely worth it. Now, I understood why actual diva Victor Nikiforov flew nothing less than first class.

As soon as we got to the airport, I got hit with a flashback. Tokyo at night was such a sight to behold. I loved this town. Out of everywhere I've been through my world travels I called my skating career, Tokyo was definitely in my top five favorites. If it didn't hold such a dark memory for me, it'd be in the top three, but we can't control that.

"You ok, Vi?" Victor asked while we stood at luggage claim.

"Fine," I assured, "I'm kind of hungry."

"Tell you what," he suggested, "Let's go get hot pot. It's been too long."

"Mmm," I hummed, "Hot pot..."

"Boys?" Victor looked for their approval, "Hot pot?"

"Ok," Yuri nodded.

"Fine," Yurio shrugged, coming off more indifferent than usual. He got plenty of sleep on the plane, too. I'm not sure how long, but I know he did some napping. Hopefully not too much. He still needed to sleep tonight. There might have been a six-hour difference between St. Petersburg and Tokyo, but that was the sacrifice we had to make. Jetlag would be a frequent staple for the next couple of months.

I forgot what a good hot pot tasted like. Especially at this particular restaurant. This was where Victor, Chris, and I would come after a competition. There's why I loved being in Tokyo so much. Japanese food was a gift from above and no one could convince me otherwise. It's like being at Epcot only on a much grander scale. All of our food would be laid out in front of us and there would be no holding me back. I felt like I hadn't eaten anything all day, but that was about to come to an end.

"Do you remember the last time we were here, Violet?" Victor gave me a little kick under the table. I had just gotten out of the hospital and Victor and Chris were trying to make me feel better. The doctor told me I shouldn't have any alcohol for a while, but that wasn't going to stop us, "We had so much..."

"Apple juice!" I cut him off. My scatterbrained husband forgot we had small children with us, "Lots and lots of apple juice..."

Victor had gotten us a bottle of sake, but little did we know how strong it was. It didn't take us much to be really drunk. Especially me. I had hardly anything in my stomach to absorb the alcohol. But damn, I was drunk. If being fresh off the feeding tubes didn't make me feel like I was dying, the morning after would.

"I like apple juice," Yurio chimed in.

"Different kind of apple juice."

"VICTOR!" an unnecessarily loud voice shouted at us, "YOU'RE FINALLY COMING BACK!"

"Hi, JJ," Victor greeted him with a cordial smile on his face while I could see the vein stick out of Yurio's forehead. I feel your pain, baby. Out of everyone in the senior division, there was no one I could stand any less than Jean-Jacques Leroy. JJ was the biggest narcissist I've ever had the displeasure of meeting in my life. I remember meeting him when I was still working the burlesque scene. He came in after Worlds one year and he didn't understand the no touching rule. Not to mention, he'd always ask for a private dance. Of course, this was all before he met his fiancée. I couldn't exactly hate him, though. If it weren't for him, I never would've met Victor and Chris in the first place. Silver linings.

"So?" JJ sat at our table, completely uninvited of course, "Are you coming back?"

"Not right now," Victor shrugged him off.

"Why?" he scoffed, "Too scared?"

"I'm coaching my son this season through Juniors," Victor shut him up, "He's really good. We're very proud."

"Think you could still beat me after all these years of you being off the ice?" JJ never knew when to stop running his mouth.

"I'm sure I could try." Amazing how level headed Victor is through this. JJ keeps stabbing at his pride and doubting his skill, yet it doesn't seem to be getting to him. Quite admirable.

"Do you mind?" I just wish I had that kind of passive temperament and self-control.

"Who are you again?" JJ gave me a look.

"JJ," I rolled my eyes, "We've met. Several times."

"You remember my wife Violet," Victor reintroduced me. I'm insulted, but not shocked. If it doesn't involve JJ directly, it's in one ear and out the other.

"Hold on," JJ looked me over, "Were you at the pool at last year's Grand Prix Finals banquet?"

"No," I bit the inside of my cheek, trying not to punch him, "I've won gold twice!"

"Sorry," he ignored me, "Not ringing any bells."

Fortunately, our food came and Victor got him out of my hair. Someone needed to drive their fist into his teeth and shatter each and every one of them. Or maybe just a good, solid kick to his kneecap. Enough to put him out for the season. Maybe with a hot meal in my stomach, I'll settle down and not have this bloodlust anymore.

"What's this, Mama?" Yuri's eyes lit up as his food was put in front of him.

"It's katsudon," I told him, "Trust me. It's delightful."

Yuri put his chopsticks in his mouth and fell to pieces. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he had just fallen in love, "This is the greatest thing I've ever eaten in my life."

I couldn't blame him. Katsudon had that effect on many a victim. Myself included. And with my nails digging into the palm of my hand because of a certain Canadian asshole, I started stuffing my face. Eating my feelings seemed to work. But I'm not surprised that my husband, who knows me better than anyone I've ever met in my life, picked up on how pissed off I was.

"Vi?" Victor knew better than to come between me and my food right now, "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Have I ever mentioned," I murmured through a mouthful of fried pork, "my general disdain for JJ?"

"Once or twice," he backed off a little, "Can I make a suggestion?"

"I will stab you with a fork, Victor," I growled.

"No, no," Victor allowed, "Please keep eating. I insist. I think I know somewhere we can go after this to cheer you up. Somewhere JJ wouldn't dare go."

"Good," I snapped, "Why is he even here?"

"Because the senior division's here, too."

"I don't like JJ, Mama," Yurio shared my sentiment.

"And that's ok," I promised, "So, where are we going?"

"You'll see," Victor smiled, "You'll see."

And I continued to stuff my face full of katsudon until I didn't want to move. The more I could get, the better. After five bowls of rice, though, my fat, happy ass was going to need a forklift to get out of the booth. Carbs might have destroyed my body, but they made everything better. They were the hug my arteries needed.

When we left the restaurant, Victor took my hand and the four of us went somewhere that was dimly lit inside, but brightly lit outside. It's been years since I've been to a Japanese arcade. And of course, Yurio's face lit up more than the signs outside. I remember when Victor, Chris, and I were here last. It was after dinner just like it was now. And just like last time, I was going to pull up a chair in front of the Pac-Man machine and make myself comfortable. There were a few machines I had a high score on in this place and from what I've heard, they've stood the test of time. Pac-Man, Galaga, Dig Dug…Oh, memories. But there was one I had to show my littlest one.

"Hey, Yurio," I found him on a Space Invaders machine, "Come here."

"I'm on a streak, Mama," he didn't even look up, "What do you want?"

"When you die," I told him, "I want to show you something."

"Don't jinx me," Yurio kept his eyes glued to the screen as his last life disappeared, "Mama!"

"I didn't jinx you," I promised, taking his hand, "Here. I know what'll make you feel better."

"What?" he pouted as I brought him over to a bright, flashing game. And it got his eyes to sparkle, "What's this?"

"Do you remember our first dance lesson?" I put the money in the machine, "And you asked me what Dance Dance Revolution was?"

"Yeah."

"This is Dance Dance Revolution," I jumped up.

"Why am I not surprised you found this machine again?" Victor and Yuri joined us.

"You know how much I love this damn game," I gushed, scrolling through the song choices, "Victor, care to join me?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Victor jumped up on the stage, ready to take me on. He should know better, though. Victor may have some of the most amazing step sequences, but when it came to my Dance Dance Revolution, he had nothing on me.

And even the great Victor Nikiforov has his flaws. While it's always fun to play with Victor, he sucked something awful at this. He was like a drunk, newborn giraffe getting tased. Granted, it's cute, but to everyone else, Victor really does look like he's drunk. Maybe he's like a savant and he can only play this when he's drunk.

"Five years later," I giggled, jumping down, "And you still suck at this."

"Can't say I didn't try," Victor kissed my cheek, "You haven't lost your touch."

"I want to try," Yurio jumped up on the stage, "Play me, Mama."

"Are you sure?" I worried.

"Positive."

"Alright," I put more money in the machine and let Yurio pick the song. I wasn't going to let him know the meme behind Sandstorm, but I wasn't going to stop him. When I played this, it was my favorite song to do. One by one, the little arrows crawled up the screen. And Yurio was keeping up pretty well. Maybe all those lessons have paid off. Damn, Yurio was a natural! He might not have been biologically mine, but he was definitely my son.

"What's high score mean, Mama?" Yurio wondered as we finished the song.

"It means you beat the previous high score," I stared at the screen in pure awe, "You have the record."

"I wonder who VIP was," he thought, punching in his initials.

"You set out to beat Victor's records, kid," I bit my tongue, "VIP stands for Violet Isabella Plisetsky. That was my record for the past five years, Yurio."

With those few words, Yurio wrapped his arms around me, burying his face in my hip, "I'm so sorry, Mama. I didn't mean to."

"I'm glad it was you, baby," I squeezed him tight, "I'm glad you broke my record. Now, you have one here already and you haven't even stepped foot on the ice yet."

"Come on, boys," Victor took Yuri's hand, "You have a big day tomorrow. We should rest up."

"That's a fantastic idea," I agreed, taking Yurio's hand, "We can come back some other time."

And the four of us left the arcade to crash at the hotel. I just wanted to go to sleep. We did have a big day, but after playing Dance Dance Revolution for half an hour straight, it starts to take a toll. And certain injuries come back to bite me in the ass. My poor hips…My legs…My ankles…Everything from the waist down. Sleep. Sleep sounds like a good idea.

 **A/N: In all seriousness, I'm amazing at some DDR. And playing Darude Sandstorm was my favorite. That and a weird J-Pop tune on DDR Max 2 that I fell in love with. And Dance Dance Revolution was my introduction to techno. Fun fact. And I'm so proud of Yurio already making records in Japan. Even though it took his Mama's record away from her. And maybe just as important, YURI HAD HIS FIRST TASTE OF KATSUDON! He's fallen in love with his beloved pork cutlet bowls! I can't be a self respecting Yuri!On Ice writer and NOT have Yuri in love with katsudon. I've already had Yurio's pirozhkis. I needed me some pork cutlet bowls, too. How else is Yuri supposed to enthrall the hearts of men? Also, if you couldn't tell, I want JJ punched in the nuts. Now, next week isn't going to be an easy chapter. It's kind of like a part two to this one. I just thought that since it was getting late and the chapter was long enough, I'd break it off here. But you'll see. You'll see about it soon. See you next chapter! xx**


	20. Mama's Nightmare

Beep...

Beep...

Beep...

What the hell...? Where am I? I tried moving, but all I got was a twinge in both arms. Something felt cold in my veins. IVs? What the hell was I doing in the hospital? I felt perfectly fine when I went to bed. I feel a little heavy now, but other than that, I'm ok. Why would I be here?

"Violet?" a soft, Swiss accent spoke in my ear, pushing my hair out of my face.

"Chris...?" I rubbed my eyes, feeling the needles push deeper into my skin, "When did you get here?"

"Shh..." Chris settled me, "Don't strain yourself. Hold on. He's just outside. Victor?"

"What is it, Chris?" Oh my god...Victor, what happened to you? He looked like he hadn't slept in days and got into a fight. My poor husband, who hurt you? The longer I studied his face, every dark circle, every splotch, the bloodshot in his eyes, the deeper the crack in my heart was. Victor scooped me up in his arms, "Oh, thank God, Violet. You're awake."

"Victor," I laid my head on his chest, "What's going on?"

"It's ok, sweetheart," he assured me, running his fingers up and down my spine, "It's going to be ok. Right now, I'm just glad you're awake."

"Awake?" I gave him a look, "What happened?"

"You're in the hospital," Victor kissed my forehead, "Don't worry, though. You're going to be alright."

"Why am I in the hospital?" I started to get pissed, "I'm fine."

"Vi," he held me tighter, "You passed out in your hotel room. Your head is still probably a bit fuzzy from the fall. I promise that you're going to come out of here better again. And I'll do everything in my power to keep you that way."

It must have been exhaustion. I worked myself too hard and collapsed. Victor, in complete hysterics, called Chris for moral support and Chris, being the amazing boyfriend he is, came right away. That's what this had to be. Dammit, Violet. You should know your limits. A break once in a while won't kill you. Remember? Celestino being onto something?

"I'm sorry, Victor," I cuddled into him, "I didn't mean to make you worry like this."

"Why didn't you tell me you were suffering?" Victor couldn't even look at me. There's no way this was just exhaustion. There was more to this.

"Excuse me," a nurse came in with a machine I remembered all too well. One that Ife I never saw it again, it'd be too soon, "Mr. Nikiforov, be ready to hold her down."

"What?" my heart stopped, "Uh...no..."

"I'm not here for you yet," she pulled the curtain to the other bed, revealing a smaller body next to me. A beautiful, little blonde boy laying perfectly still and unconscious. When I realized who it was, throwing up would come easier to me, "This is his feeding tube."

"Yurio..." I shivered, "No. Yurio was getting better..."

I couldn't watch. I've been on the receiving end of that and I knew how much it sucked...And there was no way I was putting Yurio through that. I ripped the IVs out of my arms and pushed Victor off me. Then, I went for the nurse, shoving her away from my baby, "Violet, what the hell are you doing?"

"You keep your hands off my son, you bitch!" I snapped, "He doesn't need to be on a feeding tube! We are not putting him through this!"

"Violet," Victor took me back, "She's only trying to help. Yours will be in soon, too. We want you better."

"How can you allow something like this to happen?" my tirade continued, "And to our son, no less?"

"I know it's hard for you, dorogoy," his voice shook, "But please. I nearly lost you. And Yurio's following down the same path. I just want you both to be ok."

"No," I tried to shake him off, "No...No!"

"Violet," Victor cradled me, "Violet, wake up..."

I opened my eyes again and did a quick scan around the room. Back in our hotel room in Tokyo. My husband's arms around me, doing their best to provide me with any sort of comfort, but to no avail, "What?"

"You were screaming in your sleep," he squeezed me tighter, "Are you ok?"

"Get off me," I pushed him away and ran to the kitchenette in our room, immediately setting some water to boil.

"Violet," Victor followed me, but I kept my mouth shut. The less I talked, the less I could start crying. That was one of those nightmares that feel way too vivid for my liking and I never wanted to be in that situation again, "Violet, what are you doing?"

"Go," I demanded, hardly able to stand. However, I couldn't let Victor see me sweat. I knew how he was in situations like this. He'd try his damnedest to help, but right now, helping wouldn't help. I threw eight packages of ramen in my boiling water and carried the pot with me into the bathroom.

"Violet..."

Before he could say anything else, I shut the door and hit the lock. I just wanted to binge my ramen in peace and cry by myself. Is that too much to ask for? Apparently, when I marry someone like Victor, of course it's too much to ask for. Damn his overbearing and overprotective nature.

Between sobs, I could hear him putting the boys back to bed. Yuri was the only one to really wake up. Yurio could sleep through a freight train running through a herd of cows while there was an earthquake and a tornado going on. If someone sneezed in Yuri's room while he was asleep, it'd be enough to wake him up.

I needed to shake this nightmare. You're ok, Violet. Just eat your ramen. Yurio's in bed. He's not in the hospital. He's not on a feeding tube. You stopped that before it could escalate. You saw that boy put the katsudon away alongside Yuri, nearly keeping up with him bowl for bowl. We're going to be ok. Everything's fine.

"Vi," Victor knocked on the bathroom door, "Violet, what's wrong?"

"Go away!" I yelled through a mouthful of noodle.

"No," he slid down the door, "Please. Let me in."

"No," my voice shook. He didn't need to see this. I know he loved me regardless, but he didn't need to see this. No one did.

"Ok," Victor let me go, "Tell me when I can then, ok?"

I loved when he did this, but I hated it all the same. Victor Nikiforov's brand of charm was a deadly poison. But at the same time, it was its own antidote. One minute, it could make one swoon. The next, it makes someone the most important human being on the face of the Earth. And when consumed in large amounts, there's only one side effect...Falling in love.

Once I had the bottom of the pot practically licked clean, I cracked the bathroom door, "Ok. You can come in."

"Violet," Victor threw his arms around me, cradling me delicately in his lap while I had my regularly scheduled breakdown, "What's wrong? Talk to me. I can't help if I don't know what's going on."

"Nightmare," I sobbed, "A really bad one. I don't want to go back to the hospital, Victor. I never ever want to go back to the hospital."

"It's ok," he soothed me, "You're not going back. You're right here. Everything's fine."

"I didn't even tell you the worst part." Just when I thought I was done crying, the image of my sweet little boy laying in a hospital bed for the same ailment burned hot in my brain, "Yurio was my roommate."

"Come here," Victor pulled me onto my feet, "I want to show you something."

"What?" I wiped my eyes on my sleeve as Victor led me out to our room.

"See that?" he pointed to the bed the boys were sleeping in, "Both Yuri and Yurio are sound asleep. Yurio's not in the hospital. He's not going to be in the hospital. He's fine, too. And so are you. Now, please. Come back to bed."

"Ok," I laid in Victor's chest with his arms around me.

"I love you, sweetheart," he kissed the top of my head.

"I love you, too," I felt more tears bubble up, but they were quickly silenced. Everything was going to be ok.

Even more so when I wake up and Victor hadn't budged. I didn't even have a blanket on. His body heat was plenty to keep me warm. If anyone ever asks me why I love this man, this is a prime example why. Because of this. Because he can stay up all night with me when the worst nightmare plagues my thoughts. When I can cry in his shoulder for as long as I need to. Because no matter where he is in the world, I'm never alone. Victor and I have been through a lot together. There's no doubt. I just wish there was something I could do for him in return.

I guess I could start with this. I cuddled into my husband's chest, kissing one of those spots in his neck that drove him nuts, only to move to his lips shortly after, "Dobrye otro, dorogoy. We need to wake up."

"Good morning to you, too," Victor smiled, not even bothering to open his eyes, "Are you ok, Violet?"

"Much better," I promised, "So much better."

"Do you want to sit the competition out for the day?" he offered, "I can coach Yurio, too."

"No," I appreciated the sentiment, but I made a promise. And I'll be damned if I break that promise, "I'm ok now."

"You sure?"

"Positive," I had little to no desire to even bother getting out of bed, but I still needed to wake the babies. I wonder...Maybe, "Yuri..."

"What?" my boys groaned together. I guess it worked.

"Come here," I told them.

Yuri and Yurio crawled up into bed with Victor and me. Yuri assumed his usual position with Victor and Yurio with me. I wrapped my arms around my baby and hugged him tight, almost ready to start crying again. He's ok, Violet. He's perfectly fine. I could feel Yurio's ribcage, but I couldn't see it. Good.

"Boys," Victor took over, noticing me being closer to Yurio than what I normally was, "You ready for your first international competition?"

"Can we go practice?" Yurio begged, looking up at me.

"I don't see why not," I allowed, "Besides, it's a rink you two have never skated before. You should probably get a feel for the ice here."

"Go get ready," Victor put Yuri down, but I still didn't want to let go. After a while, though, Yurio had squirmed out of my embrace and got himself ready to head off to the rink.

Once we got there, we weren't the only ones who thought to practice early. The kid from our competition in St. Petersburg was there, too. And if I didn't know any better, I'd think Yurio had a smile on his face. And it wasn't just because of being at a new rink. Although, I could understand the excitement of a shiny new rink.

"Hey," the kid came up to Yurio. Otabek, I think his name was…

"Hi, Otabek," Yurio blushed a little, trying to hide it.

"Go ahead, boys," Victor gave them both a nudge, "We have two hours before competition starts. Make the most of it."

"Um, Mama?" Yurio took my hand.

"What, baby?" I looked down at him, "What is it?"

"Will you practice with me?" he asked.

His request hit me hard in the chest. I haven't skated at this rink since I went into the hospital. I don't even know if I had my skates with, "I don't know about that, dovahkiin."

"Vi," Victor had a pair of light pink skates hanging from their white laces on his finger, "You don't think I didn't pack skates for both of us? How else are two former greats going to coach their protégés if they can't skate alongside them?"

"I love you," I stole a quick kiss from him and laced up my skates, "Ok, Yuri. I'll skate with you."

"Yay!" Yurio's sweet, little face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"And Victor," I finished off the bow, "No cameras. This is only going to be between Yurio and me. This doesn't need to go online."

"It won't," Victor promised, putting his phone in his pocket.

"What are we pregaming to, baby?" I asked, scrolling through my playlist. Maybe all I needed was a good session to set me back on track again.

"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," Yurio picked. This boy was going to have me on my knees in the middle of the rink in tears, wasn't he?

"Ok," I nodded, "We can do that."

And almost immediately, as soon as the music started, I was put back in Barcelona. Our last competition together. Yurio always did this routine with me without flaw and I couldn't be prouder of him, but every part of me wanted Victor to come out with me and skate the entire thing like it was our wedding day all over again, but doing it with Yurio was just about the same. Minus us being fresh out of the courthouse with a little bit of a champagne buzz.

"Attention," the loudspeaker boomed, "Clear the ice. Junior Grand Prix begins in thirty minutes."

"You ready for this, baby?" I beamed.

"Born ready." The fire burned bright in Yurio's eyes. Victor was right. Everything was going to be ok. If my little warrior could do this, so could I.

 **A/N: Hi, guys! I'm sorry we had to go through that really hard nightmare. I cried writing it if it makes you feel any better. Look on the bright side, though. We had Victor being all cute. I read some headcanons for Victor when dealing with someone sick on Tumblr and I wanted to gush a bit. Now, unfortunately, I'm going on hiatus for the next couple weeks. I'll be back in June. But when I come back in June, I'm going to be doing a little thing I like to call bomb week. If you're new to the way I run my fic, in the month of June, I take a week and write five new chapters for one story. So, you'll be getting updates on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Due to me vacationing and not coming back until the first full week of June, this is going to run into July, too, but I digress. I promise, though. I will be back. And once bomb week is over, I'll resume to regularly scheduled programming. Be patient with me, ok? I'm soft and smol and get frightens easy. I'll miss you all. See you next chapter! xx**


	21. Found You

**A/N: If you're reading this, then assume I'm currently in an undisclosed location being subjected to many CDC tests that may or may not include being attacked by a swarm of bees. No…I just being silly. In actually, I'm currently in upper Michigan, spending some time with the extended family and I miss you all horribly. I may or may not also have another slight surprise for you later, if I can find the time to do it. So, for now, I'm going to shut up and let you read this week's surprise chapter, ok? *Victor style wink***

"Ow!" Yurio winced, "Mama, that hurts."

"Sorry, baby," I apologized, pulling his hair a little too hard, damn near breaking the brush, "How do you end up somewhere with so much wind?"

"I was hot," he shrugged, "So, I stood in front of a fan."

"Yuri," I giggled, "You're too much. Did you know that?"

I just wanted to hug him right in the middle of the locker room. However, we had things to do. The hug could wait. Yurio still squirmed more than what I'd like, but he's a spastic little boy. I can't expect him to sit still for long, "I hate getting ready for these things, Mama."

"I know," I empathized. But it could've been much worse. When I was still skating, Celestino had an entire team for me. Yurio just had me. Simplicity, "I always hated it, too."

"Could you not have entered me in toddler beauty pageants instead?" he pouted, "It would've been just as much torture."

"You act like I'm shoving bamboo splinters under your fingernails," I teased, finishing off the intricate braiding on the side of his head, "You asked for this, kid. You wanted me to teach you to skate. You wanted to compete. I warned you about what that entailed."

"I know," Yurio grumbled, "But we're missing Otabek's performance. I like watching him skate."

"But...?" There was something bothering him. I could tell.

"But he's so good," his confidence was completely rattled. That was why we didn't watch anyone else except for Yuri's. That's his brother. He can manage that much. But any of the other skaters? They broke him.

"Not as good as you, though," I hugged him tight.

"Mama..." Yurio let out a heavy sigh, "He's really good."

I saw a look in my baby's eyes that I never expected to see. In Yuri? Yes. In Yurio? Never. The little boy that was so fired up to do this in the first place all those months ago. My sweet, little baby that was ready to kick ass and take names. My son that had the most awful nightmare. And he was scared. He was shaken to his core. And all because of one other skater.

"Yuri," I cradled him against my chest, "Relax. Who's my little warrior?"

"I am," he spoke weakly.

"Come on," I poked at his hip, "Who's my little warrior?"

"Me..."

"Who's Mama's dovahkiin?"

"I am!" Yurio squeaked.

"That's my boy!" I beamed, "You ready?"

"Do I look ready?" he asked.

"You did at practice this morning," I took his hand, "You do know you do that routine better than Victor did, right?"

"I did?" If that wasn't going to get him amped up again, nothing will. Yurio loved nothing more than hearing he was a better skater than Victor.

"Yeah," I nodded, "I skated with Victor many, many times, but you were a lot smoother."

"Really?" Yurio grinned, "You think I'll be able to win this round, too?"

"Don't worry about winning," I coached him, hearing Celestino's voice come out of my mouth, "You're here to dazzle the crowd, tesoro. And if anyone can do it, it's you."

"What's tesoro?" he gave me a confused look.

"I'm sorry, baby," I chuckled a bit to myself, "Some of my coach was coming out in me. It's darling in Italian. Do you remember Celestino? You were pretty young when you two met."

"No," Yurio shook his head.

"You'll see him again," I sat him on my shoulders, "You want me sing your music again?"

"If it's not too much trouble," he rested his head on mine.

"Never."

Although, I hated that a lot of people were paying more attention to me than Yurio. Maybe I could take a mic away from the rink. No. I had to be there for him. I couldn't leave him out there by himself. Sure, he'd have Victor, but Yurio wouldn't see it that way. He'd be out there, alone and terrified and I'll be damned if I put my baby through that.

As Otabek was finishing his routine, it was Yurio's turn. We had the luck of drawing second again. But I knew Yurio was going to go out and do amazing. Yuri, I was a bit worried about. He was going to be the one to close and he's going to put more pressure on himself. Yuri under extreme pressure isn't exactly pretty. Hopefully, Victor had some sort of remedy for that or Yuri's going to bomb.

"Yuri," Otabek stopped him as we made our way out.

"What?" Yurio jumped down his throat.

"Davai..."

He wasn't sure how to take that. It was all over his face. Was Otabek trying to get in his head or was that genuine? Yurio turned a bright shade of red. Unable to speak, he just gave him a thumbs up and got on the rink. My poor, socially awkward baby. But he'd be ok. Once he gets on the ice, Yurio will be perfectly fine. He'll be at ease.

"Alright, Yuri," I kissed his cheek, "Go make Mama proud and Yakov envious."

"Yes, Mama." That put a big ass grin on his face. I'm sure if Yurio had the opportunity I had, he'd jump. My babies could be scrappy. Yurio more so than Yuri, but Yuri's thrown down, too. But Yurio was my little warrior for a reason.

I started the song and Yurio started his routine. In the beginning, it did get him to relax a little more, but he started to get tired halfway through. Not good. We had a double axel in the middle that he needed to land perfect and a triple toe loop to wrap it up. Yurio scored the double axel, but he fumbled the last jump. I caught Yakov out of the corner of my eye with a dirty smirk on his face. He never liked when Yurio would go for triples during practice because he knew he wouldn't be able to land it. And right now, he just proved his point.

However, Yurio's score wasn't half bad. 88.43 beat Otabek's 86.63, so Yurio had that going for him. Regardless, I was still proud of him. He still went out there and dazzled the crowd. Just like his mama. It's times like these where I wish I still had Celestino here. He'd know what to say, what to do. We had one more performance before Yuri went on. Some kid from Thailand skating to some song from a movie that came out ages ago. He wasn't half bad either. And cute as a button! But then again, that was all of the kids at these things.

Yuri's turn finally came and I saw Victor coaching him a little way down from where Yurio and I were. Seeing those two together these days made my heart melt more than usual. Victor was a hell of a skater. Still is. But seeing him coach Yuri? Victor became a different monster. I'm sure he would've done the same with Yurio if I was back skating, but I couldn't leave my little dovahkiin in good conscience. He needed me.

91.01...

"He..." Yurio's face shattered, "He beat me..."

"That's going to happen, sweetheart," I sat him on my shoulders, "There's always the next one. I didn't always win gold at every competition I skated either. Did you do your best?"

"But it wasn't good enough."

"That's not what I asked," I shut that down quick, "Did you do your best?"

"I tried...":

"Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Yeah..."

"That's all that matters," I bounced him a little.

Yuri got his first gold and Yurio his first silver. Either way, we couldn't be prouder of them. I knew Victor was going to rub Yuri's gold in my face a little bit, but that's to be expected. What's a sport without a little bit of trash talk? There's a couch in the hotel, right? And that bed was awfully comfortable. And big.

As the four of us headed out, Victor had the biggest grin on his face. And it was perfectly understandable, "I'm so proud of you, Yuri! You won!"

"I did, didn't I?" I don't think it registered with Yuri quite yet.

When we made it to the lobby, I had a woman tap on my shoulder, "Excuse me..."

"Yes?" I stopped.

"Are you Violet Plisetsky?" she asked.

"Nikiforov," I corrected her, "But yeah. Why?"

"I saw you on the ice before the competition," the woman smirked. After that, eight different reporters flocked to us. That's weird. It's the first time they were here for me and not Victor. The little victories, I guess. If one could call it that.

"Violet!" one called out, "Are you coming back to figure skating?"

"The last time you were on the ice in Japan, you fainted. Care to comment on that?"

"Did the pressure finally get to you?"

"Are you coaching to make up for it?"

"Is it true you made Victor Nikiforov retire?"

"Vi," Victor took my hand, separating me from the crowd, "Come on."

Bless this man. No one could do crowd control like Victor and he knew how I felt about reporters. Unless they set something up with my coach beforehand, I wasn't going to say a word. All they'd do was make me anxious and that wasn't good before or after a competition. I just wanted to go back to my hotel and relax without being harassed. Was that too much to ask for?

"Damn vultures," I grumbled, throwing myself onto the bed, "Sorry, boys. You don't need to be subjected to that either."

"I've been getting it, too," Victor confessed, just as annoyed as I was.

"Maybe we should seriously consider hiding in plain sight," I suggested.

"Only when we go out," Victor agreed. Seconds later, his annoyance turned into joy, "Hey, Violet..."

"Victor," I let out a heavy sigh, "We're ordering room service. I'm in no mood to go out."

"That's not what I'm saying," he wrapped his arms around me, "Did you see where we're going next?"

"Where?" I laid my head on his chest.

"Barcelona..."

 **A/N: Do we remember the significance of Barcelona to Victor and Violet? Well, now you know where we'll be when we start bomb week up. Also, Otayuri. And a subtle introduction. If you picked up on it, you deserve a cookie. Now for the possible surprise. You may be getting a random one-shot soon. I felt like writing some sick!reader fic and I want to share that with you because I love you. But until June, see you next chapter! xx**


	22. Un Dia Hermosa

**A/N: *fireworks going off, glitter's going all over the place, carried in by beautiful, well-oiled men* Yes, friends. 'Tis I. I have returned. After two weeks of being away, I have, indeed, returned. As a slight warning, there is going to be a little bit of Victor being adorable. So…Kbye.**

This was going to suck. I knew there was going to be a million reporters in the lobby of our hotel. God knows Victor doesn't hide from them. He doesn't invite them, but he doesn't shoo them away either. There was no way they'd leave me alone. And neither Yuri or Yurio needed that. They were just little kids. Not to mention, I'd rather not relive my darker times in Japan.

"Here, Violet," Victor covered me with his hoody, "Keep the hood up and put these on."

He gave me his sunglasses, too. They were perfect. Dark enough to where they won't see my eyes, "Thank you. I hate that it's come to this."

"I know, sweetheart," he kissed the top of my head, "Take Yurio and get to the airport. We'll meet you there."

"Ok," I threw the hood up, getting one last kiss, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Victor hugged me tight. Like he was afraid something was going to happen. I'd be ok. I'm in his hoody, his sunglasses, my leggings, my flats, and I had no makeup on. They'd never know it's me.

"Come on, Yurio," I sat him on my hip and covered him with a blanket.

"Mama," Yurio whined, "Why do I have to be under here? It's dark and it's too hot."

"It's only for a little bit," I cradled him, "If the reporters don't see my face, they'll just think I'm carrying a baby because of how small you are. They won't think it's you."

"Why can't we tell them off?"

"That'll be their permission to paint us in a bad light," I explained, "They'd make sure it'd overshadow your skating career and it'd ruin the both of us."

"I don't like that," Yurio laid his head on my shoulder.

"I don't either, baby," I agreed, "But it'll all be over soon. Ready?"

"Da."

As incognito as possible, I carried Yurio through the lobby past all of the reporters. A few of them shot me some looks, curious as to who I was. Fortunately, they passed me off as a single mother with her baby and no one of great importance to them. They couldn't waste their time with me when they're looking for Victor and Violet Nikiforov to hound them for an interview. We weren't going to give them the satisfaction of getting the both of us and I knew damn well that if they would even mention me to Victor, he'd shut them down ASAP.

That's just the way he was. Always my protector. Even when I first started skating, when Victor, Chris, and I were practicing in secret and the press wrote it off as them skating for fun in their off time. My first time on the ice professionally was with Victor. He'd never let go of my hand unless he was certain I was ready. When I was in the hospital, according to Chris, Victor never left my side. The last time I was sick, he yelled at me to get back in bed out of fear that I'd only make myself worse. He was my protector then and he's my protector now.

Yurio and I got to the airport and boarded our flight. I'm pretty sure I saw Victor and Yuri a few spots back in line behind us. Fingers crossed that none of those reporters from the hotel were smart enough to corner me on the plane. Once I got Yurio all settled in, a true gentleman stopped in the middle of the aisle.

"Excuse me, young lady," he hummed, pointing at the empty seats next to us, "Are these two seats taken?"

"Only by you," I smiled, "Hi."

"Careful with talk like that," Victor teased, "We wouldn't want my wife to catch wind of this. She can be a vicious killer."

"But Daddy," Yuri chimed in, "She is your wife. And Mama wouldn't kill somebody, would you, Mama?"

"No, sweetheart," I wrapped my arms around my other son, who was so lucky that he was cute, "It was a joke."

"Glupaya svin'ya," Yurio murmured in Russian, chuckling to himself.

"Yurio," Victor scolded, "Apologize to him. That wasn't nice."

"What?" Yurio squeaked, "I didn't say anything."

"Yes, you did," he put his foot down, "Apologize."

"Sorry, Yuri," Yurio pouted in his seat.

"Hey, Victor," I diffused the situation, "We're going to Barcelona."

"Yes, we are," a smile lit up his face, "Do you know long it's been since you and I have been in Barcelona?"

"A while," I melted at my memory.

"What's so special about Barcelona?" Yurio wondered.

What wasn't so special about Barcelona? Barcelona was the beginning of an era in itself. Barcelona wasn't only just a beautiful city, but the mere thought of it was enough to put a smile on my face. Barcelona was home to worried coaches and the best snap decision of my life.

"I know that look," Victor smiled, taking my hand, "Yurio, I think Mama's about to have a flashback."

I was.

Victor and I stood at the front of a courthouse with sweating palms and shaking bodies, shooting glances at the door. We had been secretly engaged for a few months at this point. Nobody in the whole world knew. Only Victor, Chris, and me. And it was going to stay that way until now.

Ring, ring!

"Who is that?" Victor asked, looking down at my bag.

"Celestino," I sent my coach to voicemail. We hadn't seen each other since the night before. But in his defense, I'd be a bit nervous, too, if my top skater had gone missing after she snuck out of her hotel room at the insistence of her skating partner, "Are you sure you want to do this, Victor?"

"Positive," he took my hands, doing his best to steady them, "You know, Violet...We'll never be able to repay you for this."

"No," I stopped him, "This is you repaying me. You love me, right?"

"Of course I do," Victor assured, "But not like I do Chris."

"What do you want most with him?" I sat on the cement steps.

"You know what I want," he joined me, letting out a heavy sigh, "I want a family, but that's not what our relationship is about."

"I know you love me differently," I rested my head on his shoulder, "But you do love me. What you and I have transcends the physicality of the relationship you have with Chris. And I'm ok with that. What we'd be doing may not be exactly the most conventional way of family, but we can make it work. When you proposed to me, you asked me if I would give you that much and I said yes. You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

"No," Victor wrapped his arms around me, kissing my forehead, "Because you just gave me all the reassurance I needed."

"This is still insane," I chuckled under my breath, "Now or never?"

"Let's do it," he pulled me onto my feet and the two of us started walking into the courthouse, "Violet..."

"What?"

"After this season," Victor smiled, "I want you to live with me in Russia. I know it's asking a lot and I've already asked you so much. But you're my best friend in the whole world."

"I'm about to be your wife," I pointed out, "Of course I'm going to live with you, silly."

If I didn't know any better, I'd think those were tears in my best friend's sparkling eyes, "I love you, Violet."

"I love you, too, Victor," I had such a warm feeling from head to toe. Although, while I was riding on cloud nine, a brick wall popped up, "And you're one hundred percent sure that Chris would be cool with this?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"Ok."

I wish I could say I remembered our fifteen minutes in the courthouse, but after we walked through the doors, everything became such a blur. I couldn't believe we were actually doing this. But when in Rome, I guess. When Victor proposed, I didn't expect us to get married so quickly. We would be laying in our hotel, talking about the wedding. Victor wanted a spectacle, but I wasn't about that. No, no, no.

I wanted something simple. I didn't think it'd be going to the courthouse in Barcelona simple, but it was. When I finally came to again, I was walking into the locker room in full costume at the rink we were skating at. I snapped out of it when Celestino made it very clear that he wasn't happy with me. But Celestino loved me, so it wasn't going to last long.

"Violet!" he shouted at me.

"Sorry," I shook my high off, "What?"

"Were you listening to me?" Celestino scolded, "I've been trying to get a hold of you all day! Where the hell have you been?"

"Oh," I bit my lip, "The courthouse."

"The courthouse?" he gasped, "For what? What did you do? How much damage control am I going to have to do for the press?"

"Nothing," I assured, "I'm not in any sort of legal trouble. I promise."

"Dio mio, Violet," Celestino shook his head, "I'm going to end up having a heart attack because of you. What would you be doing at the courthouse?"

"Violet?" a soft, sweet, Russian accent filled the air, immediately setting me at ease, "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," I nodded, completely blowing off my coach's tirade, "I'm ready."

"You!" Celestino snapped at him, "I'm sure Yakov wasn't going easy on you either!"

"No need to worry, Celestino," Victor promised, "Everything's fine."

"Our top skaters go missing," Celestino ranted, "Only to find out one of them ended up at the courthouse? How is that fine?"

"By the way," Victor pulled me up, "You look positively ravishing, Mrs. Nikiforov."

"Victor..." I blushed, "Not the time."

Celestino clutched his chest, "WHAT DID HE JUST CALL YOU?!"

"You know," Victor cradled my face in his hand. His right hand. The light catching his wedding ring just right, "Your costume really brings out the shine in your ring. Or maybe that's just you."

"Victor..."

"Violet!" Celestino freaked, "What did you do?!"

"Thanks, asshole," I giggled, glaring a hole through my new husband.

"Violet," Victor nudged me out of my flashback, "We're landing."

"Oh," I shook off the nostalgia, "Ok."

"Where was your head right now?" he wondered, knowing exactly what was going through my head.

"At the courthouse," I curled into his shoulder.

"Getting nostalgic, are we?" Victor teased.

"A little bit," I nodded. I missed those days. I missed those days so much.

And to make matters even more melancholy, I heard a voice that I had not heard in person for years calling my name right at the gate, "Violet! Mia dolce bambina!"

"Celestino!" I squealed, jumping into my coach's arms, "Mi sei mancata!"

"I missed you, too, tesoro," he hugged me tight, "You didn't think I'd miss your first time coaching, did you?"

"No way," I swallowed the swelling lump in my throat.

"I thought you could use the support," Celestino wiped the tears from my eyes.

"We were just talking about you, Celestino," Victor chimed in, "And the last time the three of us were in Barcelona together."

"I could've beaten you senseless then, Victor," Celestino made Yurio giggle, immediately drawing his attention, "And dio mio, piccola tigre. It's been quite some time since I saw you."

"What did you just call me?" Yurio got defensive.

"He called you a tiger, sweetheart," I settled him, "And right now, you're proving him right."

"I'd say it's fitting," Celestino insisted, "I've been watching you, Yurio, and you must make your mama very proud."

"I do," Yurio nodded, "Right, Mama?"

"Always," I sat him on my hip, "Both my boys do."

"Forgive him," Victor held onto Yuri, who stood behind him, "He's playing shy today."

"It's alright, Yuri," Celestino got down to his level, "I coached your mama for quite a while. And I wish she'd come back already."

"Celestino," I shut him up.

Slowly, but surely, Yuri warmed up to my former coach. And then, all at once, he remembered who was here, "Ciao Ciao!"

"Hi, Yuri!" Celestino peeled him off his leg and took him into his arms.

"Hey, Celestino," a lightbulb lit up in Victor's head, "Could you watch Yuri and Yurio tonight?"

"Sure," he agreed, "That's fine."

"As for you, young lady," Victor wrapped his arm around my waist, "You wouldn't happen to have plans for later, would you?"

"Considering we don't have competition until tomorrow," I caught my breath, "No. Why? Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

It always worried me when those two little words came out of my husband's mouth.

 **A/N: Hi! It's true. Victor making spontaneous plans is always a recipe for disaster. However, this whole flashback was such a beautiful thing. I couldn't stop smiling today while I was working on this. It brought me so much joy. Speaking of things that bring me joy, we have Celestino! As far as minor characters go, Celestino is probably a favorite. I love him so much (even though he withheld Victuri…Think about it…). And I love him in relation to Violet. He adores her like she was his own.**

 **Now, we need to have a bit of a sit down here. Because it's been rather difficult, me getting back to doing this after being away for so long, so if you can be patient with me, I'd really appreciate it and I'll love you forever. Also, bomb week has been rescheduled. TO JULY! Yay! *fanfare* But from the 17** **th** **to the 21** **st** **of July, nothing but YOI updates. So, I'm going to go over here and do another thing. See you next chapter! xx**


	23. The Beginning and End of an Era

Victor Nikiforov was never one for subtle. If it wasn't too much for the average person, it wasn't enough for him. I love Victor dearly, but he is the single most extra human being I've ever met in my life. Would I have him any other way, though? Not for all the tea in China. Although, I'd be lying if I said his excessive nature didn't make me nervous.

"I have a little surprise for you," Victor took my hand and the two of us walked the streets of Barcelona, leaving Yuri and Yurio in the capable hands of my coach. Allegedly capable. For their sake and for his sake, I just hope we don't come back to the hotel room floor covered in Cheerios and Yuri tied to a chair.

I could only imagine, though. Victor's surprises were never little. He was incapable of little. They could be anything. But so many memories on these streets. The mornings spent regretting the evenings. The long, celebratory nights that I'm almost one hundred percent positive that Victor doesn't remember. At least a few of them anyway. The only thing missing was Chris using me as a crutch when he and Victor would be drunk and I was the only one they could call. Maybe Chris was the surprise!

"Violet," Victor nudged me out of my nostalgia-induced haze, "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'm going to be," I came to again, the two of us standing in a dark room, "What's my surprise?"

"Do you remember," he began, "what we were doing six years ago?"

"Let's see," I thought back, "Six years ago, I was still skating. You were still skating. We were skating together. And the following year would've been my last season because we'd get the boys that spring."

"Barcelona," Victor let out a heavy sigh, "Truly the beginning and the end of an era for us, wouldn't you say?"

"This is where we ended our career," I shared his sentiment, "Where we began our marriage."

"You think this is going to be a nice cloud of beautiful memories," he wrapped his arms around me, "Wait until we get back to New York for finals."

"Are they really?" I gasped, "I wonder if the girls at the burlesque club still remember me."

"You're unforgettable, dorogoy," Victor nuzzled his face in my neck.

New York. That was going to be a weird pill to swallow. Barcelona may have been the beginning of our life together, but so was New York. New York may be a little worse than Barcelona. It was the beginning of a life I never thought was possible for someone like me. In my cards, I was going to dance at the burlesque clubs full time and live my life in the city until I die by my three dogs. In a way, I still have those three dogs. Well...Two dogs and a finicky kitten. But becoming a wife and mother never even dawned on me. Not until Chris and Victor came into the club that night.

"So, where are we?" I asked, my eyes blurring with the prospects of tears over days gone by.

"Where else would we be?" Victor flipped on the lights, illuminating a clear ice rink, nicely prepared for the upcoming festivities, "I got them to set it up early, so you and I could have some time alone."

"Victor," my heart melted. If the mixture of thinking about Barcelona and New York wasn't enough to get my emotions on high, this was. This was the last place we skated professionally together. This marked the end of our career together. This was where we had our first dance after we got married. We didn't have a reception. We had a competition. This only confirmed my suspicions. Victor Nikiforov was never ever, ever capable of little surprises. Because they had me floored every time.

"Now," he extended his hand to me, along with a pair of light purple skates, "Violet Plisetsky, may I have this dance?"

"Always," I fell into my husband's arms, swallowing the swelling lump in the back of my throat. Then, other things started to fall into place in my head, "Is this the reason you told Celestino to take the boys tonight?"

"Yes," Victor kissed the top of my head and sat me down on the bench, "I love our boys, Violet, but I love you, too. Sometimes, when things are getting as high stakes as they'll be, a little quality time will do us both some good. Wouldn't you say so?"

"Duh," I giggled a bit as he laced my skates for me, "Victor?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"You ask me for a dance," I smiled, "But there's no music."

"You don't think I don't have this thoroughly planned?" he scoffed, "I'm a little insulted."

"You're really not that much of a planner, honey," I pointed out, "You know that as well as I do. If you didn't write things down, you'd be a mess."

"Then, it's a good thing I have you," Victor stole a quick kiss.

"You know," I jabbed, "You can do that with your phone, too."

"But you're not my phone," he teased, "I can't make calls with you. Or send texts. Or Google myself."

Why would I not be surprised if Victor googled himself? I couldn't help but roll my eyes a little, "What am I going to do with you, Victor?"

"First," he tied his skates and brought me to the middle of the ice, "I'd like for you to dance with me."

"It'd be my pleasure," I bowed to him, "But again. There's no music."

"Yes, there is," Victor had the sound remote in his pocket and pressed play. Only for I Don't Want to Miss a Thing to bounce around on the walls.

"Victor," I tried my damnedest to hold myself together, but he was making it really hard to do that, "Really?"

"It is my favorite thing to dance to with you," he admitted, "This is alright with you, is it not?"

"Of course it is," I shivered a little in his arms.

"And you remember the choreography?"

"Like the back of my hand," I beamed, "I love you, Victor."

"I love you, too, Violet," he spun me around, "You're my favorite snap decision."

"Mine, too," I blushed a little, "You know what we should do since we have the rink to ourselves?"

"What's that, my love?" Victor dipped me.

"We should choreograph a new routine," I suggested, "Just something for the two of us."

"Ok," he allowed, "Theme?"

"You know what theme," I laid my head in his shoulder.

"Eros or agape?"

"We can't do eros," I decided.

"Why not?" Victor pouted, spinning me into my first lutz. A double in competition, but I was feeling cocky, so I made it a triple.

"Because..." Oh, how my husband was so very scatterbrained, "You don't love me like that. You don't have eros feelings for me. I'm your agape. Chris is your eros."

"That's true," he nodded, "Agape then?"

"Agape," I confirmed.

"I got something," Victor skated over to the partition, taking his phone off the ledge. Aimlessly, he scrolled through his music and a soft piano began to play.

"The stars lean down to kiss you," the speakers played, "And I lie awake and miss you. Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere."

Vanilla Twilight...Why did it have to be Vanilla Twilight? When Victor was still skating and I had the boys, he did his special program in Paris to Vanilla Twilight. We watched it on TV as it happened and once the song came to a close, Victor looked dead into the nearest camera and kissed the lens. I knew that all the while he was gone, he was with Chris in every hotel room every single night. But that little kiss on the camera...That was for me.

Everything hit me all at once. Especially when all of our moves came so natural. We didn't have to choreograph our routine. Our routine choreographed us. I needed this. This was a part of my life that I never wanted to fade away. I loved my boys more than anything, but sometimes, Mama has to do some things for herself, too.

And I broke down in Victor's arms. I tried so damn hard to hold myself together, but the glue wore off, the rubber band had snapped, the safety pin had rusted, and the sugar in the gum had completely dissolved, "Violet, what's wrong? What's the matter?"

"Nothing," I wept, "I want to come home, Victor."

"You want to go back to Russia?" he wondered, "Ok. We can get you on the first flight out tomorrow morning and I can take over coaching Yurio."

"No," I shut him up, "That's not what I meant. I want to come home. Here, home."

"You..." Victor gave me a look, "You want us to get property in Barcelona?"

"No," I fell to the ice, "Here. On the ice. I want to come home. And next season, I'm going to do just that. I'm getting my last season."

"Really?" he squeaked, hugging me tight, "Violet, that's wonderful!"

"Shh..." I settled him, "Don't tell anyone. I'm not ready to share that with the world quite yet."

"Still," Victor's unwavering enthusiasm pressed on, "Yay! It's about time. You know what, Violet..."

"What?"

"Speaking of our skating careers," he smiled, "And us being back in Barcelona, you know what we should do?"

"What, Victor?"

"We should renew our vows," he suggested, "We could still do it in secret."

"And we would still be keeping it from my coach," I giggled, "Do you really want Celestino to bitch at us again?"

"We're not competing," Victor reminded me, "You won't be doing that until next season. You think Celestino would have you back?"

"Oh yeah," I nodded, giving myself minor whiplash, "He told me he would if I ever wanted to get back in the fray. As sweet as the thought is, no. We're not renewing our vows. They'd be more or less the same. You'll love me. I'll love you. I'm cool with you being with Chris on the side. Nothing's changed, Victor."

"You're right," he pulled me back to my feet, "How about we do one more routine then?"

"That I can do," I agreed, "What's the song?"

"You pick."

"Ok," I scrolled through the music on Victor's phone. Every part of me wanted to do one of our old swing routines, but I had a better one in mind. We needed something with a higher tempo. I Don't Want to Miss a Thing was slow. Vanilla Twilight was slow. I needed something upbeat. And I knew just the one.

"Don't you dare look back," the speakers sang, "Just keep your eyes on me. I say you're holding back. She said shut up and dance with me."

"Violet," Victor pulled me back into his arms, "You're too much."

"And that's coming from the king of too much," I kissed his cheek, "Shall we?"

"Let's." And Victor and I let the music consume us, take over our bodies, possessing us like a beautiful devil. All of a sudden, I saw a bright light. And it wasn't like the spotlights or the bright light I saw in Tokyo when I passed out on the ice. This was a flash. I looked out into the stands and saw someone duck.

"Hey!" I called out. And whoever took off running.

"Press again?" Victor cringed.

"I guarantee you the lobby's packed," I grumbled, "We're going to have to sneak out the back."

"Just like the old days," he gave me one last kiss, "But you know that picture's going to fetch a pretty penny. Maybe we should've asked for a copy of it."

"Maybe," I loved him, but some days, I wanted to throttle him.

"Come on," Victor took my hand, "Let's get out of here, da?"

"Ok."

The two of us undid our skates and slipped out the back door of the rink. But of course, because that was too obvious, there were six different reporters from six different news sources bombarding us at the door. All of their questions blended into one low hum that no one would be able to understand. And I just wanted all of them to shut up. But one stood out. The biggest one. Were Victor and I going to come back to the ice together?

"Look," Victor settled the crowd, "We're going to be holding a press conference tomorrow anyway. If you could all save your questions until then, thank you."

He did better crowd control than Celestino did and Celestino was the absolute master. When it came out about Victor and me getting married, Celestino did all the work. It got to be too much for Yakov to handle, so he pawned it off on my coach. Thank God, Victor could handle it, though. I know it was part of the job, but I hated having to deal with the press. I just wanted to let my skating speak for itself. They didn't need to know anything about my personal life.

When we got back to the hotel, Yuri and Yurio were fast asleep on their bed. And their babysitter was passed out on the couch with the TV on. I didn't think the boys were that big of a handful, but it had been a while since Celestino watched them. Maybe it took more out of him than I thought it would. I couldn't leave him like that.

"Which one of us is waking him up?" Victor asked, "I didn't bring the oven mitts."

"What do you need oven mitts for?" I gave him a look.

"To wake Yurio in case he bites."

I rolled my eyes a bit, "I'll do it. Celestino isn't a biter."

"Good to know," he giggled, "I'm going to go get some ice. I'll be right back."

No. In fact, Celestino was the complete opposite. I put my hand to my coach's shoulder, "Celestino…"

Nothing.

"Celestino," I shook him some more, "Celestino, you have your own room. You can't stay here."

"No," Celestino grumbled in his sleep, pulling me down toward him, "I sleep here. You come here."

Once I was locked in his arms, there was no getting out. Celestino was a lot stronger than I was and his strength multiplied when he was asleep. Fantastic. So much for getting him to leave. I will admit, though. Some nights when the competition bracket broke Victor and me apart, Celestino would take care of me and this was usually how our night would go.

"Wow, Violet," Victor came back, keeping his voice down, "And I thought me cheating on you with another man was bad."

"Shut up," I chuckled a bit, "I didn't ask for this. It just happened. Celestino's not going anywhere."

"Clearly."

"Go ahead and go to bed without me," I insisted, "I'm going to wait until he's heavily sleeping. Then, I'll be there."

"Alright," Victor kissed my forehead, "I love you."

"Love you, too," I sent him off to our bed and waited.

And waited…

And waited…

Was he sleeping? I think so. Heavily enough to where I could leave? We'll find out. I took Celestino's limp arm off me and moved as slow as humanly possible. If I wake him up even slightly, I'm back to square one and there would be no sleeping with Victor tonight. I put his arm down gently and tiptoed over to our bed, but not without giving goodnight kisses to my boys first. I'm so proud of them. They've come so far in such a short amount of time. They deserve a little rest. Then, I crawled into bed with my husband and curled into his chest. Good night, Vitya. Ya lyublyu tebya (I love you).

 **A/N: Hi, guys! I need the headcanon of Victor googling himself to be confirmed. If someone could get on that, I'd really appreciate it. Also, Victor Nikiforov is the sweetest human being alive. That's all I'm going to say. See you next chapter! xx**


	24. Barcelona or Bronze

The next morning, I woke up with the Spanish sun beating down on my face. My skin soaked up the rays like a sponge. And with me being as pale as what I am, I could stand a little bit of color. Oh, how I missed Barcelona. As happy as it makes me to see my boys skating competitively, it's really too bad we're not here on a pleasure trip. I could use the vacation. However, that wasn't the case. Hold on...A sweet smell lingered in the air. And my husband wasn't in our bed.

I got up and searched our suite. Celestino was off the couch, too. Where in the hell would those two run off to? Yuri and Yurio were still asleep, though. At least I knew where they were. After another few steps into the living room and I found their father. And my coach. In our kitchen. I really should know better than to leave Victor and Celestino without adult supervision.

"Vitya," I rubbed my eyes, still half asleep, "What the hell are you doing in the kitchen with my coach?"

"Good morning, beautiful," Victor pulled me into his chest, kissing my forehead.

"We're making breakfast," Celestino chimed in, "If that's alright with you, of course."

"A little late for me to say no." I knew it was coming from a place of love and concern. After my stint in the hospital, Celestino was always hellbent about me skipping meals. Even if it was the littlest thing. But for now, I needed coffee. And lots of it.

Then, I remembered the beautiful moment Victor and I had last night at the rink. Hopefully, the guy that scored the picture didn't hear my slight announcement of a possible return next season. That's the kind of thing I should probably talk over with Celestino first, if he'd even have be back. The last thing he needed to do right now was damage control for my career.

"By the way, Violet," Celestino's tone made me nervous as took a pan out of the oven. That's what was smelling so sweet. Looks like someone was busy. And Celestino made some of the best raspberry scones I've ever had in my life, "I was on my phone this morning. Do you know what I saw?"

"What?" I bit my tongue. Here we go...

"Actually, Victor showed it to me," he took his phone out of his pocket, showing me my worst nightmare, "Care to explain what my star skater was doing on the ice after she said she retired?"

"I can still skate for fun, can't I?" I defended, contemplating whether or not to kick Victor's pageant mom ass for showing it to Celestino in the first place, "It's not a crime."

"No," Celestino agreed with me, "But you know what pictures like this are going to do, Violet. All it's going to do is generate rumors. And going by the video, you really haven't lost your touch."

"What do you mean?" There was video, too? I thought the guy only got a picture! And the fact that I was skating with Victor means that's about to hit viral status. Yeah. I'm kicking Victor's ass later.

"You can't tease your fans like that," he pointed out, "That's just cruel."

"Yeah..."

Victor gave me a little nudge. Dammit. I see what he's doing. What he's trying to do. He's trying to get me to tell Celestino. The boys were still sleeping. I didn't want them waking up because my coach was about to go off like fireworks. Even worse, Celestino knew my tells. He had been my coach for quite some time. He's going to pick up on the little things I do that say I have something on my mind without saying a word.

"Violet," Celestino looked me over, "Are you alright, tesoro? You look like you're not feeling well."

"No," I shook my head, "I feel fine. Just tired."

Victor's elbow went into my ribs again. It's like he's wanting to piss me off this morning. I wasn't ready to tell Celestino about my comeback. I wasn't near the right level of awake to deal with Celestino's spastic fallout. The two of us exchanged silent glances, speaking volumes. I knew that's what he was trying to get at. Tell Celestino, Violet. He's going to know eventually. But he didn't need to know right this second. I was still a little iffy about wanting to do it. That's one of those things I tell him at the end of the season when either Yuri or Yurio come home with a medal.

Whoever gets in the top two this round secures a spot in the finals. And if my boys keep doing as well as what they've been doing, they're going to finals. That's what we've been working for after all. At least Yurio. I love Yuri to death, but if I'm comparing their skating skills, Yurio's been doing a lot better than Yuri. Then again, as Yurio's coach, I might be a little biased. Sure, it'd be great to win gold at Juniors my first time out of the gate as a coach, but I don't care which one of my boys win. As long as one of them wins. Their medals will hang nicely with ours.

"Violet," Victor threatened, "Say it."

"If this doesn't bring me back to the old days," Celestino giggled, "You two plotting behind my back. What's going on? And you can't tell me you got married again."

"No," I assured him, "We're not getting married again."

All of a sudden, Celestino froze and the life drained from his eyes. My once bright and vibrant coach turned pale as a ghost, "Violet...I need you to be honest with me."

"Of course," I worried, "What is it?"

"Are you..." Celestino kept shooting glances down at my stomach, "Are you pregnant?"

"No," I shook my head violently, "No, no, no, no, no."

I loved Celestino dearly, but even he didn't know the details of why Victor and I got married. That thought even made Victor a bit nervous. In a twisted way, it made me giggle. To be fair, though, he had it coming. That's what Victor gets for trying to push me. I'm going to push back and he should know that by now.

"Then, what's going on with you two?" Celestino squeaked, "Just tell me. I'm not going to get mad and I'm not going to blow up. I promise."

"Alright," I glared at my husband, who had a big ass smirk on his face. I loved him. I really did. I passed up the stockbroker for this, "About the pictures...and the video..."

"What...?" he worried.

"It's not me teasing the fans," I explained, "The guy caught us both off guard. We thought we were alone and Victor wanted to drown me in nostalgia for the good old days."

"You're welcome," Victor was more than happy to take credit for that.

"And it got me thinking," I went on, jumping up on the counter.

"Mama..." a soft little sleepy voice joined us, "Can I have some apple juice?"

"Well," I beamed, so very thankful for his timing, "Dobrye otro, kotenok. Sleep ok?"

"Yeah..." Yurio climbed up on a barstool, "Yuri's awake, too."

"Good," Victor chirped, "That way, I don't have to wake him and you both can hear Mama's news, too."

"What news?" Yurio looked over at me as I got his cup from one of the bags.

"You never know when to keep your mouth shut, do you?" If my eyes could shoot laser beams, Victor would look like Swiss cheese by now.

"Nope!" his face lit up as the pitter patter of the other pair of tiny feet in our lives shuffled across the floor, "Yuri!"

"Ohayo," Yuri grumbled with the same disdain for mornings as his little brother.

"Mama," Yurio wasn't going to let up on it. And Victor knew that, "What was your news?"

And now, he had Yuri intrigued, "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Celestino looked me over, "But I think your mama thought she was going to be able to get out of telling me. Go on, Violet. Victor's nostalgia trip got you thinking."

"Well," I slid Yurio his apple juice, "With the way things have been going lately, I thought about my own skating career. The crowds, the lights, the ice...That's home to me. I gave that all up, so the boys would at least have me home while Victor was on the road. When Yurio asked me to teach him, I hadn't been on the ice in a good, solid year. I forgot what it felt like being out there. And last night cemented that for me. I had a brief epiphany and I think I'm going to come back next season."

"Excuse me?" I thought Celestino was about to have a heart attack.

"But that doesn't leave this room," I demanded, "I've been thinking about a comeback for a while now, but last night..."

"I know," Victor wrapped his arms around me, "I was there."

"I miss it, Coach," I went on, "I miss it so much. And with the season about to come to an end, I'm probably going to take a couple weeks off and start training again."

"Well," Celestino hid a little grin from me, "You're going to need a coach, aren't you?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "Which is why I wanted to ask you something."

"I think you know the answer to that, Violet..."

"Good," I sighed out, "Because I wanted to know if I had your blessing to have Victor coach me next season."

"What?" Celestino gasped.

"What?" Victor shared his sentiment.

"Huh?" Yurio gave me a look.

"What?" Yuri squeaked, "You're taking my coach?"

"Of course not," I giggled, "I just wanted to see what you'd all say."

"Violet," Victor relaxed, "Don't scare me like that."

"You?" Celestino snapped.

"No, no, no," I wiggled my way into my coach's arms, "Like I'd pick someone else to be my coach. There's only room for one coach in my heart, Celestino. We're a team, you and I."

"Dio mio, Violet," Celestino scolded me, "I forgot what kind of stress you put on me."

"What can I say?" I laid my head in his shoulder, "I'm your favorite little headache."

"Yeah," he kissed my forehead, "That's true."

"Now," Victor checked the time, "I think wAe have a competition to be getting to shortly. Shall we?"

"Good call," I dug through the bags and grabbed Yurio's costume, "Which one are you wanting to do today, dovahkiin? Primadonna or Tale of the Dragonborn?"

"Dragonborn," Yurio finished his apple juice, "We'll save Primadonna for another day."

"Alright," I took out his armor and the five of us pulled ourselves together and headed down to the rink. Competition in Barcelona again. Oh, how I missed you so. Maybe I'll be able to go through here next year when I'm competing again. I mean, I had the honor of skating here last night, but when the cameras go off and they're not ours, that's a bit of a mood killer.

"Where did you draw, Vi?" Victor asked.

"We're first," I cringed, "The dreaded first slot."

"Set the bar," he gave me one little kiss and all of my nerves melted through my feet.

"We will," I smiled, taking Yurio by the hand. To be honest, I was horrified. My luck with the first spot was never good. Yurio and I went to the locker room to get ready and for whatever reason, Celestino decided to tag along.

"Violet?" he wondered, "Are you ok?"

"A little nervous," I bit my lip, "What about you, baby? You doing ok?"

"Fine," Yurio assured, "I've done this routine a million times over. I'm sure I know what I'm doing and I know I'm going to do better than Yuri."

"That's my boy," I hugged him a little tighter than usual. I don't understand why I was so jumpy. It's not like I was the one skating. Yet I could've come out of my skin.

"Yurio," Celestino ordered, "Go stretch. I need to talk to your mama for a minute."

"Ok," Yurio got up from the bench and left Celestino and me to ourselves.

"Violet," he sat next to me, "Talk to me. What's wrong?"

"I don't know," my knees shook, "It just got really overwhelming really fast."

"Relax," Celestino threw an arm around my shoulders, "Everything's fine. Yurio's ready. You should be, too. Is this about what happened in the kitchen this morning?"

"Maybe."

"Violet," he held me tight, "Mia bambina…Are you sure you're ready to come back?"

I wanted to. More than anything. While Victor was skating his last season, he called me every night with stories of how he was truly living like this season was his last. I envied him terribly. Not that I didn't love the quality time with Yuri and Yurio, but while I was taking care of Yuri when he got a really bad bout of stomach flu, only to give it to his brother a week later and peeling them apart when they'd get into it, Victor was jet setting around the world. A new city every week. A new country. Excitement. Adventure. But the more I talk about my own return, the more apprehensive I get about it.

Although, I needed that again. That spark in my eyes and the feeling in the pit of my stomach. One of the few things that made me feel like I was alive. There was a truly magical and mystical feeling about it. Like living in a fairytale. And I was the princess on that ice. I got almost the same feeling when I was doing burlesque shows, but this didn't make me need a very hot shower afterwards.

Like a switch, my anxiety turned to determination. And I got my game face back, "I'm sure. Let's do this."

"There you are, Violet," Celestino pulled me onto my feet again, "Make me proud, tesoro."

"Do I ever disappoint?" I grinned, "Come on, Yuri. Let's go."

"Yes, Mama," Yurio was ready. I was ready. It was time for us to do what we did best. Victor told us to set the bar. I just hope Yuri's prepared. He's going to need to set up a step ladder in order to come close to this bar.

 **A/N: Hi, guys! Now, before I forget, we're going to be on a little bit of a hiatus soon. But! We're going to be coming back on July 17** **th** **and you beautiful people are going to get an update every single day from the 17** **th** **to the 21** **st** **. I forgot about bomb week Monday and Tuesday and I just had to tell the others. But fear not, my children. Your time will come, too. But then, we'll be back on hiatus from the 22** **nd** **to the 31** **st** **. You may be wondering, Lumi, that's on a Monday. Why would we be back on a Monday? Our regular update day is Wednesday. Well, for that week, you're going to be switching days with the Kuroshitsuji fic. Why? Because it's going to be my 2 year anniversary of posting my first fic and that was a Kuroshitsuji fic. So, I have to do an anniversary special. Now, story! I'm not going to say much about this week's chapter, but I'm going to go on record and say that Celestino is my favorite human being. See you next chapter! xx**


	25. The Curse of First Position

**A/N: Well, hi there! Don't I know you crazy kids from somewhere? I mean, it's been a couple weeks, but do you know what that means? It's BOMB WEEK! Yaaaaayyyy! *cue confetti cannons and flower petal cannons with [Property of the Ouran Host Club] stamped on the side of them that are definitely not stolen, they're borrowed* Now, I'm not posting to Black Butler until the 31** **st** **and I'm not posting to Ouran until August, so…That leaves you. What to do with you? Well…I hope you all enjoy the next five updates you get…because on Friday, the story's going to be over. Adopted is ending this week. I know it's going to suck, but trust me. I have another YOI story on the horizon that could seriously take off. You've already gotten my parental!Victuri. This upcoming story is more romantic!Victuri. And done a way that I don't think I've seen yet. But because it has been a while, how about a quick recap?**

 **Where we last left off, the Nikiforov family (and Celestino, too!) is in Barcelona where Victor and Violet got married. And we're about to see our favorite little ball of anger, frustration, and overall cuteness go out onto the ice. Are we ready now? Let's go!**

"Alright, Yuri," I started my pep talk, "Are you ready?"

"I don't know," Yurio seemed a little off. I wonder what had him so jumpy, "Maybe I should go with the Primadonna set."

"Yuri," I got down to his level, "What's going on?"

"Why do I have to go first?" he pouted, "Of al the places I could've picked, I get the cursed first spot! There's no way I'll win!"

"Sweetheart, you'll do fine," I promised, "And you'll do it with the Tale of the Dragonborn. You know that routine like the back of your hand. This is just another enemy. Who are you here to fight?"

"Myself..."

"No," I stopped him, "Don't start that. There's no winner in that fight. What are you really fighting?"

"How scared I am," Yurio thought out loud, "The nerves in my stomach. The urge to throw up right now."

"Now," I drove it home, "Who's my little dragonborn?"

"Me..."

"Come on," I poked his belly, "You can do better. Who's Mama's little dovahkiin?"

"I am!" Yurio let out his battle cry.

"And who's going to break the curse of the first position by taking home gold here?" I kept psyching him up.

"I am!" Got him.

"Alright, baby," I hugged him tight, "You got this. Make me proud."

"I always do."

He had me there. Yurio never could disappoint me. He had become quite the performer in these past few months. If Yakov would've been here, he would've made Yurio even worse before going on. That's why we don't have Yakov coaching Yurio anymore. Among other reasons. You got this, kid. You can do this. I know you can. You came here to kick ass and take names. As he skated to the center of the rink, Yurio looked to me for some reassurance.

One nod from me was all it took to spark a little glint in his eyes. There it is. There's that fire that makes my simple, little Yurio the true son of a dragon. Oh, yeah. Yurio's got this. That kid's walking out of here with some hardware. He looked really good in gold. I blew him one last kiss and a soft acoustic guitar filled the rink.

"You handled that nicely, Violet," Celestino praised, "Couldn't have done it any better myself. You've become a hell of a coach."

"Thanks, Celestino," I wrapped myself around his arm. It's been nice having Celestino around. While Victor was in the locker room with Yuri getting him ready, my old coach has been a perfect stand-in.

"You're not nervous, are you?" he worried.

"No way," I scoffed, "I know Yurio's going to kill it. I expect nothing less from him. Even if he only gets silver, I'll still be proud of him. He's my son. How could I not?"

"Violet..." Celestino saw right through me, "I coached you for your entire skating career. I know you talk too much when you're nervous. You can't fool me, bambina."

"Dammit," I grumbled, "You're right. I don't want him to have to come this far only to lose big here and blow his shot for Junior finals. I don't think my heart could take Yurio being so disappointed. It'll probably crush him so bad that he'd never want to skate again. And I really can't do that. He loves this too much. I never want that fire in him to ever go out."

"Relax, Violet," my coach threw his arms around me, "Remember? If you're nervous, Yurio's going to be nervous, too. And it'll throw off his performance. Just have faith."

"I do," I mumbled, "But what if..."

"No," Celestino shut me up, "Faith. All he needs is for you to have a little bit of faith."

And there's the other reason I liked to have Celestino around. Even when I'm not skating anymore (yet, anyway), he still manages to be my coach. When I'm in serious need like this, when I know damn well I'm about to spiral out of control, Celestino can put me back on track when Victor can't. It's kind of nice to have something like that.

When I went back home after meeting Victor and Chris in New York, I told my parents that I was going to take up ice skating. Their reaction wasn't exactly fanfare and rainbows. More or less, they wrote me off, thinking Violet was going through some things that she doesn't want to talk about and her want of ice skating would be a fleeting thing.

Then, when I brought Victor to meet them for the first time, they had the same reaction. He's just a passing fling. Adding the fact that he's Russian made my very right winged father a little nervous and the fact that he's gorgeous made my somewhat superficial mother swoon. Victor did have that effect on people, though. Luckily, he could charm his way into both their hearts with little to no effort on his part.

With my first overseas competition, I called home from France and my mom yelled at me for calling so late. It was still early in the afternoon where I was, but time zones didn't compute. But in one of my last, I called home that morning and they were about to go to bed. An hour later, I had Victor knocking on my door in our suite asking me to take a leap of faith with him. And an hour after that, I had a new last name. That made for a fun post-competition trip home.

After that, we went for a year without speaking to each other. I moved to Russia. That's quite a jump for being from a little town in Vermont. Not surprising, though, I had to be the one to make the move. I didn't hear from them until I called saying they had two new grandchildren. Not exactly thrilled that they weren't exactly blood, but they'd get over it.

No matter what happened, though...If it were my first competition, my first steps onto the ice, when I got sick in Tokyo, I always had either Victor or Celestino. Two people that cared for me deeply in their own different ways. Those two have always been my support and I had a feeling that was never going to ever go away. And I loved them even more for it.

Even now, talking to my parents is a touchy thing. In a way, though, I still had my family. I had my boys, my Victor, my Chris, my Natalia, and my Celestino. That's all I needed. If my biological family ever wants to pull their heads out of their asses and be a little more supportive of me and my skating career, then they're more than welcome to. Until then, they're kept at arm's length.

For now, I had to be the support system for the little boy on the ice right now. He's all alone and I had to make him ok with that from a distance. I'm proud of Yurio's decision and even prouder that he isn't giving up just because he's a little scared. Every turn, every step, every jump was landed on a dime. Yurio's anger and hatred toward his enemies was outweighed by something else. I've never seen this before.

What is going through that kid's head? This wasn't fighting for himself anymore. This wasn't about Yurio fighting his demons and conquering kingdoms. For more than anything, this was Yurio fighting for honor and pride. For love and passion. This was Yurio growing as both a skater and a warrior. He knew he was the dragonborn, but this was him proving it. Something flipped inside him. I could see it all over his face. That was my son and he is more than worthy of being called dragonborn.

"You see that, Violet?" Celestino gave me a little nudge, "You did that."

"I did?" I gasped, my heart turning into a complete puddle.

"Absolutely," he assured, "I don't know if you know this, tesoro, but I've seen that same look on your face once or twice before."

As the music died down, the crowd more than made up for it. They exploded! The screams and cheers have never been so deafening! Going by the look on Yurio's face, he wasn't sure how to handle it. Get used to it, baby. Because this isn't the life you chose for yourself. It chose you. They love you.

"Mama," Yurio skated off the ice and jumped into my arms, "I'm exhausted."

"I'm proud of you, dovahkiin," I hugged him tight, "You ready to hear your score?"

"Yes, I am!" For being so tired, Yurio had quite a bit of energy left in him. Despite his pants and stumbly walking, I guarantee that all this kid needed was a bottle of apple juice and he could go out and redo that routine with the same excitement as the first time. He needed a break, though.

"Yurio!" Victor charged at him, taking him off my shoulders, "I'm so proud of you! You did so well!"

"Get off me!" Yurio swatted him away, "Let me go!"

"Victor," I settled them both, "We're all proud of him. Let him rest a bit."

Not to mention, Victor's gushing wasn't exactly good for his own skater. I had a feeling that I'd have to give Yuri a pep talk, too. Hopefully, Celestino would take that off my hands. I'm pretty drained, too. We had to wait for the judges to tally the scores yet.

"Hey, piggy," Yurio reclaimed his spot on my shoulders.

"Yeah?" Yuri quivered in his skates.

"Davai," he settled his brother.

"Uh..." Yuri wasn't sure what to make of it, "Thanks, Yurio."

"Come on, Yuri," Victor took our other baby's hand, "We're next."

"Good luck," I gave my husband a quick kiss.

"Mama," Yurio rested his head on top of mine.

"Yeah, baby?" I walked him over to the kiss and cry to await our score.

"I miss Otabek," he sighed out, "What if he doesn't get to finals?"

"I'm sure he will," I promised, "You saw him. Do you really think the judges aren't going to push him through?"

"I guess you're right..." Yurio was starting to crash from the adrenaline buzz.

"Hey," I couldn't let him be down like this. Not now, "You're going to see Otabek in New York. I'm almost positive."

"Ok," I got him off my shoulders and sat him next to me, waiting to hear those magic numbers we needed to hear.

94.14! A personal record! That's my boy, "Look at you, Yuri! You killed it today. I knew you would."

"I did it!" Yurio hugged me tight, "I did it, Mama!"

"Yes, you did, sweetheart," I kissed his forehead. And of course, one of the lovely photographers behind the barricade managed to get that on film. I'm sure it's going viral in minutes and to the highest bidder, "You want to stay and watch Yuri's performance or do you want to get a drink?"

"I need a drink," he pulled himself to his feet. Honey, you just said a mouthful.

"I can get it, Violet," Celestino volunteered, not even giving me a chance to protest, "You stay and watch Yuri."

"Thanks, Coach," I let him go. Why? Why couldn't we have started with Celestino instead of Yakov? Yurio never would've gotten sick. I never would've had to have the eating disorder talk with him. Not to mention, Celestino would've had zero problem with me teaching him to skate or being his dance teacher and would've been all around much more pleasant to deal with. Stupid Violet.

But then again, Yakov approached us with the offer. From what I understand, that doesn't happen. Getting Yakov as a coach takes months of intense begging and groveling at his feet. The last time he made the first move was with a young skater the tender age of seventeen. As far as I know, that skater was Victor.

When we went back to the rink, Yuri's set was already done. He had the crowd pretty worked up, too. As much as I love Yuri to death, I don't think he's placing over Yurio. If the judges are smart and take the crowd into consideration, there's no way Yuri's placing over Yurio. Yurio and I went over to Victor and Yuri by the railing.

"I wish I could've seen it, Yuri," I gave my baby a quick hug, "I'm sure it was great!"

"I stepped wrong coming out of a jump and fell," Yuri reported, "But I tried to make up for it!"

"And I think you did just that," Victor praised, "If I were a betting man, I'd say you're both going to finals this year."

"You were great, Yuri!" another one of the skaters came up to us, "I hope I'm half as good as that. Let's get a picture!"

"Ok!" Yuri's face lit up. Weird. I've never seen him actually make friends before.

"Who's this, Yuri?" I asked

"This is Phichit," he introduced us, "He's up for a spot in the finals, too!"

"You're Violet Plisetsky!" Phichit squealed.

"Yeah," I smiled, "That's me."

"Yuri!" Phichit glared at him, "You didn't tell me you knew Victor Nikiforov AND Violet Plisetsky!"

"They're my parents," Yuri boasted proudly.

"Your retirement was legendary!" Phichit went on with his rampage, attaching himself to my leg, "You're one of my favorite skaters ever!"

"Thank you, sweetie," I blushed, getting down to his level, keeping my voice barely above a whisper, "But I never said I retired, did I? That was all speculation."

"Does this mean…" he thought for a minute or two before all the tumblers fell into place and his jaw to the floor, "Are you coming back?!"

"Shhh…" I settled him, "That has yet to be determined. We'll see after this season."

"Please!" Phichit begged, his arms around my neck, "Please, Ms. Plisetsky! You have to come back! The skating world misses you!"

"Look, Phichit," I explained, "The skating world kind of hates me for taking Victor away."

"No!" he showed me his phone, "Those are just stupid people. Look!"

I scrolled through article after article this kid had compiled on me. I guess he really was a fan. There were petitions going around online for me to make a return. Blogs dedicated to me that were kept current. My god…Maybe people don't hate me nearly as much as what I think they do. I always knew I had fans, but I usually kept away from that kind of thing in my browsing of the internet for the sake of my mental health. Sometimes, they're not all assholes on the internet.

"Phichit," I took his hands, "Can I trust you with a secret?"

"Anything!"

I whispered in his ear, "I am coming back. At the end of the season, I'm announcing it officially."

"Yay!" If I didn't know any better, I'd think Phichit was about to do cartwheels.

"I think you're on, sweetie," I sent him off, "Good luck."

"Thanks!" And just like that, Phichit was off to skate his routine.

"You do realize," Victor jabbed, "That you probably made that kid's life, right?"

"No," I shook my head, "You did. I just added the sprinkles."

Once all was said and done, it was time for the announcement. Fingers crossed that we're making that trip to New York. I haven't been to the states in so long. Never found the time or the right reason. Maybe this is the push.

"In third place," the announcer called out, "With a score of 89.54, Phichit Chulanont."

"Congratulations, Phichit," Yuri gave him a little nudge, "Next year, you'll get to finals."

"Thanks, Yuri," Phichit still had a smile on his face as he skated up to the podium.

"In second place," the announcer went on, "With a score of 91.33, Yuri Nikiforov."

"I'm going to finals!" Yuri let out a heavy sigh of relief, sharing a quick hug with his father.

"I'm so proud, Yuri!" Victor cheered, "Go get your medal!"

"Ok!" Yuri followed Phichit's lead, skating to the podium.

"Looks like he's not the only one going to finals," Celestino shot me a wink.

"Mama," Yurio asked, "What was my score? I forgot."

"And our winner of today's competition," the announcer finished, "With a score of…"

"94.14," he and I said simultaneously.

"Yuri Plisetsky!"

"I won!" Yurio squealed, skating to the middle of the rink to claim what was rightfully his.

"Looks like we're going to have to celebrate, dorogoy," Victor wrapped his arms around me, "I never saw you as such a threat."

"I guess we'll see in New York, won't we?"

 **A/N: I'm so, so, so, so, so, so sorry this is up so late. That wasn't my intention. Hopefully, I'll have it out tomorrow earlier than damn near 10PM. But I kind of had a minor mental breakdown a little while ago and had to come down from that. All that aside, yay! We're going to New York! And Yurio broke the curse of the first position. And we got to meet Phichit! He's my babe and I love him! And Yurio misses his new "friend". I'm not saying we're doing any ships here because they are but children, but tomorrow! Tomorrow is going to be a delightful chapter. Pinky promise! See you next chapter! xx**


	26. Happy Birthday, Yuri

**A/N: Hi, guys! Welcome to day two. Today's chapter…It's going to be adorable. There's old friends, new friends, and a piece of bubblegum stuck to the bottom of my shoe. Or there's a 100% chance that Lumi needs to shut her hole. Ok! Read on, sweet children. And for the not so sweet children, *extends middle finger*. Right here, buddy. Right here.**

My boys were champions. Yurio had two gold medals under his belt. We needed to celebrate and we will, just not quite yet. Even though my boys are on their way to finals and that's definitely cause for fanfare, we had one thing to take care of first. Something a little more important than either one of them winning.

Once we touched down in New York, the five of us went to our hotel. Yurio's sleep was sketchy on the plane, so he could probably use the rest. Yuri, too, just on principle. When he gets anxious, it takes more out of him than he realizes. And my baby doesn't need that. Either one of them. Not to mention, both of them with jetlag at the same time is not a pretty picture.

"So, Violet," Victor wrapped his arms around me as the boys slept in the other room, "Juniors is in a couple days. Nervous?"

"Not anymore," I cuddled into him, "I was before we left Barcelona, but I'm good now."

"What changed your tune?" he asked.

"The gold that Yurio has in his bag," I smiled, "And the fact that you're scared."

"Scared?" Victor scoffed, "What makes you think I'm scared?"

"You're starting to sweat," I poked at him, "You see me as a threat now. One less gold medal you could be responsible for. And at the hands of your wife and son, no less. That, my love, makes you scared."

"I'm not scared, Vi," he promised, "I can't wait for Yuri and Yurio to go up against each other in such a high stakes situation like this."

"Can we make a pact right now?" I insisted, "If Yuri wins or if Yurio wins, we'll be happy for each other."

"No resentment," Victor agreed, "Either side."

"Good," I got a quick kiss from him.

Knock, knock.

"Did you order room service?" Victor wondered.

"No," I shook my head, "And Celestino said he was going to visit an old lady friend of his."

"I'll get it," he gave me one last kiss, leaving me on our bed. Then, a stunned silence stood at the door, "No way..."

"Who is it, Victor?" I started feeling my jetlag set in. I pulled the quilt on our bed over me, giving great consideration to a nap.

"In bed this early on a Friday night in New York City, Violet?" a soft, Swiss accent echoed through our room, "Motherhood has changed you."

"No," I jumped out of bed and into his arms, "It hasn't really. What are you doing here, Chris?"

"The boys made it to Junior finals," Chris pointed out, "Like I'd miss that."

"I missed you," Victor stuck to him like glue. If I didn't know any better, I'd think there were happy tears glittering in his eyes. And I couldn't blame him.

"I missed you, too, Vitya," Chris gave him a gentle kiss, "Why else would I have come here?"

"Hey, Chris," I jumped back onto the bed, "How did you know where we'd be staying?"

"Victor Nikiforov is a creature of habit," he reminded me, pulling up a chair, "Do you not remember this hotel, Violet? Our first season together, we stayed in this hotel."

So many other things have come and gone through my mind that the hotel parties we had were fleeting thoughts. Not to mention, they'd occasionally get out of hand. Mostly, that'd be Chris' fault, but not our fault he traveled with his stripper pole. I must admit, though. He had a talent. Now, I'm starting to remember this place.

"Are you staying here, too?" I asked.

"I have a room a floor up from here," Chris told us, "I miss New York. How long has it been since the three of us were here?"

"A lot of years," Victor sat in his lap, "Still feels like yesterday we went into the burlesque club and found this little gem hiding in the back."

"Excuse me?" I grinned, "I was center stage, baby."

"Not at first," he corrected me, "Before you were Lady Marmalade, you were the sweet, little ballerina, dancing so perfectly in the back. The innocent, little angel. From agape to eros with the snap of my fingers."

"I remember," I blushed a bit, "I wonder if they'd let me get back up on stage for that."

"I don't see why not," Chris shrugged, "Do you have anyone you can leave the boys with for the night? I think I saw your old coach with you in Barcelona. Did he come with?"

"As moral support," I nodded, "I don't know about leaving Yuri and Yurio with him again."

"Celestino is more than capable of taking care of them," Victor said, "He did in Barcelona when we went out."

"What were you two doing?" Chris wondered, curiosity getting the best of him.

"We skated together," Victor smiled, winking at me, "She's still got it."

"So do you!" I squeaked.

"Now that you mention it," Chris thought it over, "I think I remember seeing a video in my casual browsing. When are you coming back, Violet?"

"Next season," I announced, "Once this is over, I'll make the formal announcement."

"And are you getting Victor to be your coach?" he wondered.

"Nope," I chirped, "Only one coach for me. I can't leave Celestino like that. We've been through too much together."

"And what about you?" Chris poked at Victor's side, "Are you going to grace the skating world with your presence again?"

"I'm not sure," Victor figured, "With the way I've been lately, coaching Yuri, I couldn't leave him. Which reminds me, Violet. If you're going to make your big comeback next year, are you still going to coach Yurio through Juniors?"

"Yes, I am," I assured, "I'm not going to leave him either. I made him a promise and I refuse to go back on that. Junior competitions are always before the Senior division. I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to coach Yurio and knock out a killer routine on my own. I could probably handle it."

"If it gets to be too much," Victor offered, "I can coach him while you're in competition, too."

"But," I argued, "What if you were competing, too?"

"I'm not ready to make my comeback," he sighed out, "Maybe some other time. For now, I have to take care of Yuri. Perhaps Yurio on occasion."

"It's criminal you're in semiformal retirement," Chris jabbed, "I'd kill a man to see you on the ice again. By the look of that video, you're in need of the competition circuit again."

"I've had the competition circuit," Victor laid his head on Chris' shoulder, "For the past few months. Just from the other side of the barricade."

"You know you miss it..."

"I think," Victor kissed his cheek, "You're the one that misses me."

"I do," Chris confirmed, "I can't get properly motivated without you. I need you on the right side of the podium."

"Excuse me?" Victor gasped, "If I recall, you were the one on the right side when we'd compete. Would you like to see my medal collection? There's a lot of gold in it."

"I threw the competition."

"My perfectly sculpted ass, you did!"

"Boys," I settled them, "We have babies sleeping in the other room. Relax."

"It's how we play," Chris wrapped his arms around Victor, "No malice intended."

"You're both too much," I buried myself in blankets, "And that's when you're separated."

"What do you mean, too much?" Victor took one side while Chris took the other.

"We're not too much," Chris assured.

Chris and Victor were the very definition of too much. If Victor wasn't being extra, it's like a dog not eating. And Chris...Chris was the oil to Victor's fire. And they complemented each other perfectly. To be in the middle of them made me a tad anxious, but at the end of the day, I know they wouldn't try anything. Not when I'm right there.

"Yes, you are," I put my foot down, "I'm not having this argument with you two. I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."

"Good night, Violet," Victor kissed my cheek, "Love you."

"I love you, too," I mumbled into the pillows.

"If you're going to bed," Chris suggested, "Maybe you and I should go play, Victor."

"Go ahead," I allowed, "Make sure you stretch first."

"We will," I got kisses from my boys and sent them on their merry way. As long as the room Chris had wasn't above ours, I'd be good. I've heard them two play Twister before. I thought the bed was going to fall through the floor. In that same game, I ended up taking Victor to the hospital for the pulled hamstring. Oh, the memories.

Before I go to sleep, I should probably check on my little boys. Sure enough, sleeping like babies. My little warrior and my little prince. Hard to believe that in a few short hours, my little prince was going to have a big surprise. We had a few days before finals to rest up. Other coaches were probably pushing their skaters twice as hard. Fortunately, these two had the best coaches they could've asked for. Sleep soundly, boys.

I shut their door behind me and crawled back into bed. This trip has physically drained me and I needed to get some sleep or I'd wake up hating myself in the morning. Victor probably should, too, but I understand. Chris is in town. He's not passing that up.

The next morning, I woke up with my husband in bed with me. Odd. I'm pretty sure he went to bed with Chris last night. Unless they weren't playing Twister. A game for another day, maybe? Regardless, I'm not going to look this gift horse in the mouth. I rolled into Victor's arms, making myself comfortable. Do I want to get out of bed? No. Should I? Probably.

"Good morning, beautiful," a warm Russian accent shook me to my core.

"Good morning," I rubbed my eyes, "What are you doing back so soon?"

"What do you mean?"

"I thought you'd be with Chris all night," I assumed.

"Not necessarily," Victor pushed my hair out of my face, "We can keep our hands off each other, Violet. That happens. All we did was go for a drink and catch up."

"That's it?" I fished, "Nothing more? Nothing less?"

"I promise."

"And here Chris was giving me crap about getting old and boring," I teased, "You guys are just as bad as I am."

"What are we doing today?" Victor changed the subject.

"I'm not entirely sure," I thought it through. I've lived in this city. I should know it like the back of my hand. Then again, I didn't really go out that much other than to the clubs for work.

"Do we let Yuri decide?" he asked.

"You know how Yuri gets when he has to make snap decisions like that," I reminded him, "Today is the last day I ever want him to get bad."

"Let's go wake him up," Victor took my hand and helped me out of bed, "We'll figure something out."

"Ok," I followed him to the boys' room, cracking the door open. Yurio was already awake and playing a game, "Morning, baby."

"Morning, Mama," Yurio didn't take his eyes off the screen.

"You think you can put that down for the day?" I asked, sitting him in my lap.

"Not right now," he kept playing, "I'm going to end up dying."

"Sweetheart, it's just for today," I promised, "Then, when we get back tonight, you can play all you want."

"Fine," Yurio let his character die and turned it off.

"Now," Victor sat on the other side of the bed, taking our other baby into his arms, "Happy birthday, Yuri. It's time to get up."

Slowly, Yuri's little eyes opened up, "Good morning, Daddy."

"Good morning, Yuri," I smiled, "Happy birthday."

"Is that today?" Yurio grumbled.

"Yes," I nodded, "That's today."

"I guess, happy birthday, piggy," he put his game down, "What are we doing then?"

Then, it hit me. I knew exactly what we could do today. We managed to catch a nice day toward the end of November. There's no way we could let it go to waste, "Let's go to Coney Island."

"What's Coney Island?" Yuri asked as he crawled toward my lap.

"It's a big amusement park," I told him, "When I was living here, it was a regular visit when I had nothing else to do. Sound like fun?"

"Definitely!" Yurio was on board.

"Ok," Yuri agreed.

"Alright then," I gave them both a nudge, "Go on. Go get ready."

Both Yuri and Yurio jumped down from their bed and dug through their bags for clothes and each claimed a bathroom. It didn't take much for those two to get excited. I wish I had that kind of spark still. But on the bright side, I'd get to do Coney Island with four of my favorite people in the whole world. I guess I couldn't complain about that.

"So," Victor asked, "When are we going to tell them that Chris is here?"

"What?" I giggled, "Is he not coming with us? Does Chris have something better to do today?"

"I don't think so," he thought it over, "Call him. Ask him."

"He's your boyfriend," I poked him with my foot, "You ask him."

"No," Victor blushed a bit, "He'll think I'm trying to make a move."

"Then, make that move!" I was ready to club him, "Honestly, Victor. You act like we haven't been doing this since the day we got married. You're not making a move. You're inviting him to come play with us for Yuri's birthday. No ulterior motives. No nothing."

"Ok," Victor got up to find his phone while I waited for one of the bathrooms to open up. My money was on Yuri. He took nearly no time to get himself ready. Yurio, on the other hand, was an entirely different monster. I've never seen a child invest so much into their own vanity. And he said he was nothing like Victor.

Knock, knock.

Gee. I wonder who that could be.

"Violet!" Chris sang. I'm so shocked.

"Hi, sweetie," I let him in, "I'm assuming you're coming along with us today."

"Yes, I am," he nodded, "Where did you say we were going again, Vitya?"

"Coney Island," Victor came in.

"Violet," Chris smirked at me, "Do you remember our trip to Coney Island?"

"What?" Victor gave him a look, "When did you two go to Coney Island together?"

"You were sick," I remembered, "And we were bored. While you were resting, we did Coney Island. And yes, I remember. On that day, we learned that Violet gets motion sickness on roller coasters and I had to get Chris new shoes. High maintenance…"

"I'm not the one that threw up on my shoes," Chris teased.

"You're also the one that didn't pay three hundred US dollars for new ones!" I yelled at him.

"Mama," Yuri came out of the bathroom, "Why are you angry?"

"Yuri!" Chris scooped him up in his arms, "Happy birthday!"

"Uncle Chris!" Yuri and Chris had a special relationship. Very few people could get him to be completely ok again after his issues gave him problems. Me being one, Victor being another, and Chris having the record of five minutes. I wasn't sure what he did differently than us, but whatever it was, it worked, "Are you coming with us?"

"Of course, I am," Chris promised, "I didn't fly all the way here for no reason."

I let those three be alone and went into the bathroom in Victor's and my bedroom. I'm sure someone would appreciate a fair warning, "Yuri?"

"What, Mama?"

"I have something to tell you," I bit my lip, "But you're not going to like it very much."

"We're not going now?" Yurio guessed.

"No," I assured, "We're still going. It's just that we have one more person coming with us."

"Celestino's coming, too?" he pulled his shirt over his head. Backwards, but he tried.

"Not Celestino," I spun his shirt around, "Uncle Chris is here."

"Oh, god…"

 **A/N: Well, kids. Tomorrow, we're going to have Yuri's birthday! Yaaaay! Even better, CHRIS IS BACK! YAAAAAY! And fun fact! Yuri Katsuki's birthday is November 29** **th** **, is it not? Do you know who else's birthday is November 29** **th** **? Mine! When I found that out, my little nerdy heart exploded. That made me so weirdly happy! And Coney Island…*sigh* Coney Island is going to be a delight. So! I'll see you next chapter! xx**


	27. The Return of Lady Marmalade

**A/N: Hello, you beautiful creature! And welcome to day three. We got a trip to Coney Island to go through today and a Yuri's birthday to celebrate. So, let's get to it, shall we?**

After a quick ride on the ferry, the five of us got to Coney Island in record time. I remember my old boss telling me I was going to Coney Island for a few weekends in the summer. Come to find out, I was doing Burlesque at the Beach. Getting sand out of my hoopskirt sucked. Getting it out of my ass was even less pleasant. My nostalgia aside, Coney Island was ours for the day.

"Mama!" Yurio pulled on the bottom of my sweater, "I want to ride a roller coaster."

"Honestly, Yurio," I bit my lip, "I don't know if you're tall enough to get on any of the big roller coasters."

"That's not fair!" he whined, "You said I just went through a growth spurt!"

"You'll get there one day, Yurio," Victor settled him, "And Mama only said that you might not be able to. That's not a definite."

"What about me?" Yuri wondered.

"You'll be able to," Victor assured, "You're taller than him, Yuri. You can probably ride all the roller coasters you want."

"It's not fair!" I was waiting for Yurio to throw the biggest tantrum. God, I hope they lowered the signs since I was last here.

"Relax, dovahkiin," I took his hand, "There's more than just roller coasters here."

"You see that sign over there, Yurio?" Chris pointed.

"Yeah."

"If you're taller than that sign," he explained, "You can go on that roller coaster."

"Ok!" With eyes full of determination, Yurio made a dead sprint to the sign. And just barely making it over, he ran back to us, "I can! I can ride this one!"

"Go ahead, Yurio," I allowed, "Get in line."

"Aren't you coming?" he asked.

"I can't do roller coasters, baby," I told him, "They make me sick."

"They won't make me sick," Yurio worried, "Will they...?"

"I don't think so," I shot a subliminal message to Victor and Chris. I knew they'd both be up for it.

"We'll go with you, Yurio," Victor took him off my hands.

"Yay!" Yurio ran for the line.

"Come on, Yuri," Victor called for him, "Mama will be waiting for us when we get off."

"Do I have to, Daddy?" Yuri cringed, "This is an awfully big ride..."

"It's ok, Yuri," I smiled, "We can find an easier ride. We'll meet you over here, ok?"

"Ok," Victor and Chris chased after Yurio while Yuri and I looked for a lighter ride.

"What about this, Yuri?" I suggested the ferris wheel, "Or is it too big?"

"Is that a slow ride?" he wondered.

"Yeah," we started walking toward it, "And it gives killer views of the city."

"Ok," Yuri nodded, "I can do that."

The two of us got in line and waited for the next available car. I wasn't sure about how Yuri did with heights. He couldn't be too bad if he said yes to it. Although, as the two of us kept going higher and higher, Yuri's grip on me got tighter and tighter. Maybe he wasn't as ok with heights as I thought he was.

"It's ok, Yuri," I got him to calm down, "It's better if you don't look down. Look out. You don't get views like this in St. Petersburg."

But then, it hit me harder than I thought. I missed it here. I've never had such an overwhelming homesickness before. Living in New York was some of the best years of my life. Despite the occasional grope I'd get after I'd leave the clubs for the night, I had a lot of good times here. Why did I leave again? That's right. I fell in love and into a new career path. It got me the little sweetheart on my hip right now, so it can't be all that bad.

"It..." Yuri finally opened his eyes back up, "It's beautiful, Mama."

"The greatest city in the world," I told him, "At least that's what a lot of people say."

"I see why," he sat in complete awe of the concrete jungle in front of him, "This isn't that bad."

"There you go," I popped him in the shoulder, "I remember one night when I came up here with Daddy and Uncle Chris. It was around this time of year, too."

It had a certain romantic quality to it. The lights of the city reflected off the water. Temperatures below freezing, but we didn't care. It was after a competition and we wanted to wind down. Between Chris and Victor's body heat, I was kept awfully warm. But I had felt so at peace. In that moment, all was good in the world. And to make matters even better, a blanket of snow started to cover the city.

When our car got back to the bottom, I took Yuri's hand and helped him down, "Mama...?"

"Yeah, baby?" I led him away from the ride.

"Can we do that one again?" he asked.

"You want to?" I gave him a look.

"Yeah."

"Sure," I sent him back in line for us to do it all over again. I'm sure we went around that ferris wheel three times. Yuri was starting to get my appreciation for heights. They're a hell of a place to clear the head. Everything else seems so small and the world seems simpler. But at the same time, there's the adrenaline rush of knowing that at any minute, the cable could snap and send one plummeting to their death. That's why we don't look down.

After our final go around the wheel, Victor, Chris, and Yurio were waiting for us at the bottom. Of course, Victor had a smug, little grin on his face, "How did I know we'd find you here?"

"Because you know me better than anyone else," I jabbed, "Sorry, Chris. We live together. Victor knows things."

"I'm not disputing that," Chris giggled.

"So!" I chirped, "How was your first ride on a roller coaster, Yurio?"

"I loved it!" Yurio was pretty jazzed, "Can we do another one?"

"I don't see why not," Victor allowed, "Take your pick, Yurio."

And that's how our day went. Yurio, Chris, and Victor went off on the roller coasters like a bunch of adrenaline junkies while Yuri and I picked the easier rides. I tried getting him on the swings, but to no avail. Too high, too exposed for him. Once we all reconvened again, I'm not surprised my boys sniffed out the one place they could agree on.

"Look, Mama!" Yuri squeaked, "There's a skating rink here, too!"

"Can we go there?" Yurio begged, "Just to skate for fun?"

"I don't know," I looked over to Victor with a little smirk on my face, "You really think we should let them skate on their off time?"

"These two?" Victor thought for a minute, "I'm sure Yurio could use all the practice he could get. Especially after that routine in Barcelona."

"Hey!" Yurio got defensive, "I won gold in Barcelona!"

"He's just trying to get a rise out of you, Yurio," I settled him, "Relax. Do you two really want to go skate?"

"YES!" they both yelled at me.

"Alright," I nodded, "Go ahead."

"You skate, too, Mama," Yurio insisted, "Skate with us!"

"How can I say no to face like that?" I smiled, kissing his cheek, "Go on, boys."

Like a bullet out of a gun, Yuri and Yurio ran toward the rink. You can take the boys out the rink, but they'll always run back home. That sounded familiar. It's like me making my comeback. I've been away from the rink for way too long. Then, Yurio wants me to teach him how and it's like riding a bike. Or like coming home.

When we got in there, to no surprise, there were a few others on the rink; both professional and nonprofessional alike. The boys were already lacing up their rental skates, ready to get back on the ice. A whole day off and they were already missing it. Just like their mama. When Celestino told me to take a day off, I'd have to sneak to a rink. Even then, he'd call everyone within a fifty-mile radius and tell them to deny me access. I had to get crafty and use aliases. He'd catch on to that, though.

"Yura?" a little voice doubled over the railing. Not many called Yurio that.

"Beka?" I could see it all over my baby's face. He was internally squealing that he had found his friend. The one he was so worried about not getting to New York, yet here he was, "You made it?"

"I made it," Otabek nodded.

"Mama," Yurio looked up to me, "Instead of skating with you, can I go skate with Otabek? Just for a little while?"

"Go ahead," I nudged him. It was a rarity Yurio ever socialized with the other skaters. I guess he saw something different in Otabek.

"Looks like Yurio's made a friend," Chris pointed out, "When did that happen?"

"Back home," I filled him in, "Their first competition."

"I thought Yurio was going to punch him," Victor chuckled, "Turns out they become friends instead."

"That's so cute," Chris awed, "Yurio doesn't strike me as the type to keep a lot of friends around. He's more of a lone wolf."

"Stranger things have happened," I pointed out, watching my boys skate around on the rink, "Now, you can't tell me you two are sidelining this. Yuri and Yurio are skating for fun. I'm going to have to skate to get the muscle back in fighting shape. You think you could help a girl out?"

"Always," Victor kissed my cheek, "But I don't think she needs it."

"How many gold medals do you have, Violet?" Chris asked.

"Three..." I blushed.

"How many of those are Grand Prix?"

"One..."

"I rest my case," Chris beamed proudly, "You don't need us."

I didn't think I'd get this emotional over a trip to New York during Grand Prix season. And Victor could see it. He does know me, "Violet, you're a very gifted skater. I'd put you on the same level as both Chris and me. You may not need us, but you want us, don't you?"

"I haven't skated with both of you in so long," my voice shook a little.

"Chris," Victor asked, "Could you get us some skates, please?"

"Sure," Chris went up to the rental counter while I fell into Victor's arms.

"What's the matter, dorogoy?" he worried, "What has you so upset?"

"It's not upset," I explained, "I don't know what it is. Nostalgia's a hell of a drug."

"Yes, it is," Victor kissed the top of my head, "It's alright, though. Think about it. This time next year, you'll be doing this all over again."

"I know," my face lit up a little, "I can't wait."

"Neither can I," he cradled me against his chest, "Now, if it's alright with you, I'd like to skate with my wife and my sons and my boyfriend."

"That's fine by me," I loved that no matter what kind of a day I'm having, I can always count on Victor to pull me out of whatever hole I've fallen into. I just wish there was something I could do to return the favor.

"Vitya," Chris handed him a pair of skates, "Shall we?"

"It'd be my pleasure," Victor smiled, his eyes full of sparkle more than usual. A look I rarely saw.

I laced my own skates and started toward the ice. Maybe that's what I need to shake whatever this was. A good session on the ice to clear my head. I put my headphones in and made sure my phone was secure in my sweater pocket. In times of woe, I turned to musical soundtracks. What can I say? I lived in New York for quite some time. I'd be lying if I said I never went to see anything on Broadway. I'm a sucker for a good musical.

But today was a day for a more cinematic musical. Disney soundtracks managed to put a light spring in my step and made my spins all the faster and more balanced. And today was a day for 'Something There' from Beauty and the Beast. It worked like a charm. I'd say it was rather appropriate. Something to skate the feelings out.

And it was bright and happy and full of bounce! Not to mention, when I looked over at Victor and Chris, it fit those two so weirdly. There was definitely something there I didn't notice before. When Chris told me that Victor really was catching feelings, he wasn't joking. We'll wait it out a few days more...There might be something there that wasn't there before...

"Mama!" Yurio snapped me out of my head space. How out of it was I?

"What, baby?" I came to again.

"What routine was that?" he asked, "I want to learn it."

"Nothing specific," I told him, "One of those on the spot kind of things."

"That was beautiful, Violet," Victor praised, "And that was entirely improvised?"

"What can I say?" I shrugged, "I had a good teacher. Two of them."

"You flatter us," Chris blushed a bit.

"You know, Violet," Victor thought, "I had an idea. If you'd be willing to do it."

"Depends," I got nervous, "What is it?"

"You've been on this nostalgia trip since we got here," he suggested, "Do you think you could bring your past to the present?"

"What do you mean?" I wondered. But then, it clicked in my head. I knew damn well what he was talking about, "Victor, no!"

"Violet, yes," Victor begged, "Please?"

"What's he talking about, Mama?" Yuri asked.

"There are small children here, Victor," I reminded him, "No."

"It wasn't nearly as suggestive as you think it was," Victor explained, "You were just scantily clad when you did it then. Do you remember it?"

"Of course, I do," I scoffed, "But I'm not doing it."

"Yes, you are," he insisted, "Please?"

"Are you suggesting what I think you are?" Chris had the same dirty grin on his face that Victor did. And when those two team up against me, there is no winning for me.

"What are they talking about, Mama?" Yurio wondered.

"Don't worry about it," I glared at them both, "It's not happening. I've never done it on ice before!"

"And what better time to try it than now?" Victor kept pushing me.

"Literally any other time!" I squeaked.

"Violet," he begged me, "You just did an entire routine without thought that you've never done before. You can't tell me you can't improvise another new routine based on choreography you know like the back of your hand."

"Not happening," I put my foot down. Although, I did always wonder how my Lady Marmalade routine would've translated to a solo performance on ice. Still, I made myself a promise that I wouldn't bring out Lady Marmalade in front of the boys. They didn't need to see me like that.

"You leave me no choice," Victor let out a heavy sigh, "I'll be right back."

"Victor..." my stomach dropped, but he never stopped, "Victor, where are you going?"

"Let him go, Violet," Chris held me back, "We're doing this because we love you. And you said you wanted to get your muscle back, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah," I grumbled, "But not like this! This is one of those things I'd do if I were by myself in the rink back home, but when I'm in front of a bunch of people? Or my eight and nine-year-old sons?"

"Relax, mon ami," he settled me, "Your apprehension was all in the costuming. I've seen nuns in less than you have on now. It was all mostly a ballet routine. Until you unleashed the beast."

"Yeah," I grumbled, "Unleashing the beast is the part I'm afraid of."

"Don't be," Chris cradled my face in his hand, "This is just something to put in your repertoire for next year."

"Ladies and gentlemen," Victor's voice boomed through the PA system, "Please clear the ice for a very special performance."

"Oh, Victor," I groaned to myself while everyone else got off the ice, "And you wonder why I say you're too much."

"Good luck," Chris kissed my cheek and skated off the rink.

"And now," Victor announced, killing the lights, "Ladies and gentlemen...Welcome to the Moulin Rouge."

I loved my husband dearly, but sometimes, I wanted to clock him with my heels. I started out in the center of the rink with a steady set of snaps. Once the music started kicking in, I opened up with a good spin and a couple jumps to get the crowd going. This was just like a simple ballet routine. Chris was right. But I knew that once I got to my transformation from the sweet and innocent ballerina that hid in the back for most of the performance to the one and only Lady Marmalade, I'd have to pull out all the stops.

The music began to slow and I did a couple slow sitting spins, only to emerge and throw myself into a triple axel as soon as it picked back up. That's when I went from agape to eros at the drop of a hat just like Victor said. I needed bigger jumps. I landed my axel pretty cleanly. Maybe a quad? Let's do a quad flip. I did a quick lap around the rink to get my speed going and made my jump.

Nailed it! This was where things got a little steamier. I'm meant to be a siren. Entice the men with my skating, steal their hearts. Seduce them. See the pretty ballerina on the ice? She's going to consume you, destroy your mind, body, and soul. By the time I was done with you, you're going to be begging me to kiss my skates. And now, we're going to seal our deal with one last jump. I got my speed up for a quad lutz and landed it flawlessly.

The music started slowing down and doing the roll call. Once the song was over, I did one more sitting spin and collapsed right then and there on the ice. I haven't performed for a crowd like that since my retirement. And there wasn't a silent person in the entire rink. I took my final bows and skated off the rink. When I started, I was feeling more Cell Block Tango than Lady Marmalade, but damn, I'm glad when Victor pushes me some days.

"Mama!" Yurio jumped into my arms, "Teach me that routine!"

"Me, too!" Yuri chimed in.

"Not even if you begged me until you were blue in the face," I shot them down, "That was fun!"

"It's amazing what you do when there's no pressure, Violet," Chris praised, "Perfect tens all around."

"Thanks," I fell onto his shoulder, "Where's Victor?"

"He's still in the sound booth," he filled me in, "I'm sure he'll be back here soon enough."

"I'm exhausted," I sighed out.

"Hey, Violet," Victor had my phone in my face just as bad as the press, "If there was something you could say to the skating world right now, what would you say?"

I knew where he was going with this. He was trying to get me back in the swing of things. I knew I'd have to get used to this again before next season. Especially if I'm going to announce my return. In the meantime, I can guarantee there's going to be reporters all over the place, wanting to hear from me. But in my post routine endorphin buzz, I could only think of four words.

"I still got it," I beamed. My god, that was such a rush.

"That's my girl," Victor stole a quick kiss, "Aren't you glad you did it now?"

"I am," I fell into his arms, "If it's alright with you, I'm starving. Yurio, go say good bye to Otabek. We have to get going."

"Ok," Yurio ran off to find his friend as I caught my breath. Thank God it wasn't brutally hot outside. And the temperatures had dropped since we've been inside. I don't know if it's safe to say that Lady Marmalade was going into my skating catalog, but I knew it would be a staple in practice. I can't wait to show it to Celestino. I'm sure he'll appreciate it, too.

The five of us left Coney Island for Little Italy for massive quantities of food. Something Mama was in desperate need of. Enough carbs for me to not see straight. Lady Marmalade had taken a lot out of me. I haven't put that much energy in a routine in years. When we sat down, I laid my head on Victor's shoulder, waiting for my adrenaline buzz to wear off.

"Oh, Violet," he wrapped his arm around my waist, "You want to go back to the hotel, don't you?"

"Big time," I nodded, "But I also need pizza in my life, so here we are."

"My poor, little angel," Victor pulled my hair out of my face and put it up for me, "You could've said no."

"Could I?" I asked flatly, "Could I really? Victor, you could talk Captain Hook into buying a pair of gloves."

"I could, couldn't I?" His damn charm knew no bounds. And even worse, he knew how to use it.

"You married him, Violet," Chris pointed out, "You have to be the one to deal with him."

"I know," I whined, tired beyond belief. Too tired to argue with either one of them.

"Violet?" a very good-looking man in a suit stood at our table, "Violet Plisetsky?"

"Yes?" I gave him a look, "Who are you?"

"I haven't seen you in years," he gasped, "It's Adam. Wolff."

"I'm sorry," I dug back in my memory bank and nothing came up for an Adam Wolff, "We've met?"

"Yeah," Adam nodded, "About seven years ago. We had a night together after some big event you went to."

"Hold on," I thought a little harder, "Can you turn around?"

"Ok?" He questioned my sanity.

I exchanged a quick glance with my husband, looking Adam over, "Is that…?"

"It is," Victor confirmed, giving the guy the same look I did.

"Adam!" It clicked. The hot stockbroker with a nice ass and a jawline to die for, but he had the personality of a cardboard box.

"Now, you remember me!" he gave me a quick hug, "Hi, sweetheart."

"How've you been?" I asked, internally yelling at myself. I should've known better.

"Pretty good," Adam reported, "Not much has changed except for the yacht. I upgraded my yacht."

"Good for you," I smiled politely, wanting to get out of this.

"What about you?" Dammit, "What have you been up to?"

"You haven't heard anything about me?" I wondered. The way we left things, I'd think Adam would've followed my career religiously, "I'm kind of a big deal in the skating world."

"I thought I saw you on my homepage," Adam drawled on, "Congratulations."

"And I got married," I showed him my wedding ring. Maybe that'll get him to back off, "Adopted two babies."

"And the praises keep coming," he applauded, "Who's the lucky guy?"

"I am!" Victor chirped, "I don't know if you remember me or not, Adam, but I'm Victor. We met on your yacht that night, too."

"You, I remember," Adam assured, "You were the one that asked me if I was modeling."

"I did?" Victor thought back.

"Sounds like something you'd do," I figured, ending my suffering, "Adam, it was great seeing you again, but I'd really like to get back to the family, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," he gave me one last hug, "I hope we'll see each other again while you're in town."

"Looking forward to it." Like a pap smear and a root canal simultaneously. I liked Adam. He was sweet. But as long as he kept his mouth shut, I could deal with him. His personality was kept in his bank account.

"Well, well, well," Chris watched Adam walk away, "Who did we have here?"

"Don't ask," I suppressed the moment altogether.

"No," he dug deeper, "What happened?"

"Something I'm not discussing in front of the children," I put my foot down.

"Alright," Chris let it go, "Later then."

"After we've put them to bed," I stipulated, "And they're heavily asleep."

"I'm holding you to it," Chris promised, "I hope you know that."

I was dreading that conversation. Adam and I had one night together. ONE. And he had already started talking about getting married and having a family and getting a house in the suburbs. At the time, I was young and dumb and that scared the hell out of me. I didn't want to get married. I didn't want babies. I didn't want the suburban life. Yet what do I have now? I have two boys that I love more than life itself, a husband that I can't help but adore, his boyfriend that's become like a brother to me. And I wouldn't trade that for the world. But sometimes, it's not about me.

 **A/N: Well, happy birthday, Yuri. You and your dork brother got your mom to get back on the ice in a really big way. Also, keep an eye on that question Victor asked Violet. Because that'll eventually come into play and I just want to tell you everything! All in good time, friends. All in good time. Now, not only is this day three, but tomorrow's going to be the second to the last chapter. I'm going to miss this story…See you next chapter! xx**


	28. A Little Wager

**A/N: Hi, guys! Day four. Second to the last chapter. And uh…I'm sorry. Because this chapter gets kind of heavy. *preemptive hugs* But we'll be ok. Consider this your end of episode 11.**

Nothing better after a long, exhausting day of being on my feet and further injuring however many stress fractures in my legs than kicking my feet up in the hotel. Victor and Chris tucked the babies in for me and let me soak in our hot tub on our balcony. But they weren't too far behind. I'm just glad Chris wasn't naked. The last thing I wanted to do while we were here was bail Chris out of jail for indecent exposure.

"A beautiful night, is it not?" I stared up into the night sky, getting lost in the void hanging overhead.

"Absolutely," Chris pulled a bottle of champagne out of an ice bucket, "Violet, do you want any of this while I'm pouring?"

"No, thank you," I declined, "I shouldn't drink before a competition. Especially when it's Junior Finals."

"Vitya?" he offered, "Don't make me drink alone tonight."

"Sorry, Chris," Victor shot him down, "Looks like you're drinking alone."

"You two are no fun," Chris poured himself a glass of champagne, "More for me then."

"Tomorrow night," I sighed out, slipping under the water a little more, "All of the training for the past year. All of the grief we've been through. Yurio getting sick. It all comes down to tomorrow night."

"You're not nervous," Victor teased, "Are you, Vi?"

"Not at all," I smiled, "I have your fear keeping me pretty calm."

"Again," he corrected me, "I'm not afraid."

"But I'm a threat," I reminded him, "You said so yourself."

"Everything's a threat," Victor said, "That doesn't mean I'm scared."

"Whatever you say," I let him go, "If you're so sure, would you care to place a little friendly wager?"

"Are you really going to be on our children?" he gasped.

"No," I covered, "We're betting on our skills as coaches, not Yuri and Yurio's as skaters."

"Because that would be immoral," Chris took a drink from his champagne.

"What did you have in mind?" Victor asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

"If I win..." I thought on it for a moment or two, "If I win and Yurio beats Yuri, you have to do one of my old burlesque routines."

"Deal," he agreed, "I can do that."

"Let me finish," I grinned darkly, "I'll make a call to my old club and you'll do an entire set. Corset and garters, too. You'll live through my hell."

"That sounds like fun," Victor chirped, "And what if I win?"

"If you win," I knew what Victor wanted. I knew exactly what he wanted. And it came in the form of the beautiful Swiss man swilling champagne in this hot tub with us, "If you win, I want us to get a divorce."

In that moment, I saw Victor's fragile heart shatter to pieces, "What...?"

"If you win," I reiterated, "I want us to get a divorce."

"Chris..." a lone tear trickled out of Victor's eye, "Can you give us a minute?"

"Sure," Chris got out of the hot tub and left the two of us alone.

"Violet..." Victor's voice broke, "Why?"

"Let me..."

"Do you not love me anymore?" he shook.

"No," I wrapped my arms around him, "No, no, no. Quite the contrary. And again, you didn't let me finish. Why did we get married in the first place?"

"Because I wanted a family," Victor wept, "And the adoption agency in St. Petersburg would've been more likely to adopt to a couple."

"And?" I knew he knew, "Why else?"

"Because," he laid his head on my shoulder, "There's no way in hell they would've adopted to Chris and me."

"So," I finished for him, "You found your best girl friend in the whole world in a little corner of Brooklyn and showed her something better. Victor, I love you and that's not going to stop. But correct me if I'm wrong, but there's something missing in our relationship, isn't there?"

"No!" Victor held me tighter.

"Victor," I saw right through him, "Every time Chris is over, you couldn't be any happier. When he leaves, you spiral into a miserable depression. Every. Single. Time. Now, I'm going to ask you again. There's something missing in our relationship, isn't there?"

The realization finally came to him, "Yeah. I'm sorry, Violet. I never meant for that to happen."

"You're human, baby," I settled him, "I understand. To be honest, I saw this coming a mile away. The way that you and Chris are together is enough to put someone into a diabetic coma. When you don't think I see it, I do. And I don't want to be the wedge between you two anymore. To clarify, I still love you. Very much. Just because I want us to get a divorce doesn't mean I want to leave you. I still want you to be in my life. I want us to get divorced and for you and Chris to get married."

"What?" Victor was having a hard time following me.

"Simple terms," I dumbed it down, "I love you. You love Chris. Chris loves you the same way whether he wants to admit it or not. What you two have is much more than a mere friendship."

"If you're wanting Chris and me to get married," he wondered, "How do you figure we'll do this?"

"Well," I bit my lip, "I thought that since the boys have been loving New York since we got here, maybe we could move here. And you and Chris could get married here."

"Violet," Victor winced, "I don't know..."

"No," I stopped him, "You've always told me that you'd never be able to repay me for what I've done for you two. Consider this my repayment. I want you to be happy, Victor. That's all I want for you."

"But what about you?"

"Don't worry about me," I took his face between my hands, "I've had the best six years of my life with a man I love and raised two wonderful boys with. I'm not leaving any of you. We're just breaking a contract. That's all this is. We started this at the courthouse in Barcelona and we can end it in the courthouse in New York."

"But..." Victor thought it over, "This is all hinged on whether or not we beat you and Yurio tomorrow night?"

"Precisely," I nodded, "And I don't want you throwing it either."

"I won't," he squeezed me tight, "I love you, Violet Nikiforov. Thank you."

"I love you, too," I kissed his cheek, "If I didn't, I'd stay married to you."

"Victor? Violet?" Chris came back onto the balcony, "Can I come back out? Are you two done fixing your marital problems?"

"The jury's still out," Victor joked, "But yes. A minor misunderstanding."

"So, what's going on?" Chris wondered, "If you don't mind me asking."

"Nothing to worry about," I brushed him off, "Not yet anyway."

"Does the bet still stand?" he got back into the hot tub, "If you lose, Violet, your divorce happens. If Vitya loses, he's doing one of your burlesque routines?"

"It stands," I nodded, "And now we have a witness. You're not backing out of it, Victor."

"No, I'm not," Victor smiled again, returning the universe to perfect balance, "And you're not throwing it either, are you?"

"I won't," I kept my fingers crossed behind my back. I knew that there'd be no way I could get Yurio to throw it. He's too stubborn and competitive.

"Which makes me wonder," Chris chimed in, "If you two do get divorced, how are you going to explain that to the boys?"

"Cross that bridge when we come to it," Victor took my hand. I didn't even want to give that a thought. Then, we'd have a whole lot more than just our divorce to explain. I'm sure they'd automatically think I was leaving, too. But I made Yurio a promise that I'd never leave him. And I'll be damned if I go back on that.

I got out of the hot tub to give Chris and Victor some time alone and went to bed. The boys weren't the only ones that had a big day tomorrow. These competitions could be just as hard on the coaches as they are on the skaters. When I got up the next morning, I slipped out of our room and sought out words of wisdom from the best coach I know. Celestino and I had already made arrangements for coffee down on the corner at a cafe that I used to go to regularly while I still lived here.

However, when I got to the lobby, I bumped into someone I was really hoping not to see. Why? Why did he have to be here? Not surprised, though. From what Victor's told me, he hasn't missed a final in the past fifteen years. Why should this time around be any different?

"Violet," Yakov grumbled, "What are you doing here?"

"This is my home turf," I reminded him, "And both our boys are in the final."

"Congratulations," he said, "I hope you're prepared to lose tonight."

"I'm hoping so," I sighed out.

"What?"

That wasn't supposed to come out, "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"You know," Yakov thought, "I really wasn't expecting to see you here. Victor, yes, but you? Not in the least bit."

"Thanks, Yakov," I pouted, "You know how to give a hell of a pep talk."

"I'm glad you proved me wrong," he clarified, "Yuri is a very gifted skater. He's a natural talent. Davai."

"Thanks," I was skeptical, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"You looked like you could've used a scrap of human decency," Yakov shrugged, "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "I'm supposed to be meeting with my old coach soon. But Yakov, can I confide something in you first?"

"Me?" he gave me a look, "Why?"

"Because," I knew this was going to sucker punch him in the gut and distract him for tonight. Was it a low move? Yes. Did I care? Hell no, "I want you to be the first to know officially. I'm announcing my return tonight. After Yurio wins tonight, of course."

And on that note, I had a little more bounce in my step. Especially after seeing Yakov's jaw drop half way to China. If not for my own self-fulfillment, that look of pure stun on Yakov's face made it entirely worth it. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling a little smug. Both Victor and Yakov should know better than to underestimate me. Crouching tiger, hidden dragon style.

"Violet!" Celestino flagged me down once I got to the café.

"Hey, Coach," I sat with him, "Did you order yet?"

"I ordered for you," he said, "Chai tea and a chocolate scone?"

"You know me all too well," I praised, "Yes. It's funny. It's been three years since I was at a Grand Prix event and you still remember my breakfast order."

"Like I can forget," Celestino nudged me under the table, "You're a very simple creature, bambina. You've never been the overly elaborate coffee order type."

"No," I sighed out, "That's Victor. He's always been the high maintenance one in our relationship. And that's an understatement."

"What's the matter, Violet?" he worried, "Are you alright?"

"Fine," I beamed, "I bumped into Yakov in the lobby of our hotel."

"And you're fine?" Celestino questioned my sanity, taking my hand, looking it over, "No bumps? No bruises? No need to get the police involved?"

"It's not like when I found out about him telling Yurio to lose weight," I promised, "He and I were rather civil. And I told him about my return. I thought he was going to have a heart attack right then and there."

"Don't get me wrong," he assured, "I can do some serious PR miracles, but I don't think even I could cover something like that up."

"I wonder what he'd say," I thought it over, "if I told him Victor was thinking about a comeback, too…"

"Is he?"

"I don't think so," I giggled, "But he could. Chris wants him to in the worst way."

"What about you?" Celestino asked, "Today's the big day, tesoro. Are you ready to announce your comeback?"

"I think Victor's going to do that for me," I figured, "Hold on."

"What are you doing?"

"Texting Victor," I pulled out my phone, asking him for the video I knew damn well he took of me from the sound booth, "I have something to show you."

"What is it?" Celestino stacked his empty creamer cups by his coffee.

"I have a new routine," I blushed, "It's a little sexier than what I've done before. I don't think anyone would expect it to come from me."

"You know, Violet," he suggested, "When you make your comeback, you could completely rebrand yourself. Then, you were the innocent, graceful little angel on the ice. Now, you could be a little devil with a naughty side."

Beep!

"And would you look at that?" I grinned, showing Celestino my phone, "Do I know him or do I know him?"

"He's your husband," Celestino pointed out, "I'd hope you know him."

That was a blow to the gut that I didn't need today. No. It was your idea, Violet. You're ok with it. Just because you're getting divorced doesn't mean he'll be out of your life. You'll still have Victor. Just not married. And that's ok. Because you know he's going to be a million times happier. It'll hurt like hell, but it's entirely worth it.

 **A/N: So, Victor and Violet are on the rocks. All with good intentions. Or are they? Maybe they won't get divorced. Maybe Victor and Yuri won't win. Maybe Violet and Yurio will. We don't know that. Well…I do. I know exactly what's going to happen. But you won't find out until tomorrow. Hang in there, kids. You'll be alright. See you next chapter! xx**


	29. Final Boss

**A/N: Well…Here we are, guys. The last day of bomb week. The day it all comes to an end. It's been a fun ride and I'm going to miss you. But we'll see each other again, I'm sure. Another life. Another timeline. I'll save the mush for later, but until then, we have to put our game faces on. Victor and Yuri vs. Violet and Yurio. Who will win? Who will lose? Who will be wearing the garters? Let's see, shall we?**

A little time with Celestino was just enough to soothe my nerves. I couldn't be anymore ready for this competition. When I got back to the hotel, Yuri and Victor were getting ready, running through some stretches. Chris was attempting to do the same wit Yurio, but Yurio had other things on his mind. Like a princess to save.

"Yurio," I called from the door with a bag in my hand, "Are you ready yet?"

"No," he kept playing his game.

"You have a competition in thirty minutes," I groaned, "This is the last one for the season. Come with me."

"Hold on," Yurio continued on, "I'll get ready when I die."

"Hurry up and save," I demanded, "We got bigger and better things to worry about."

"Ok," he saved his game and followed me into the bedroom, "What's in the bag?"

"A present," I smiled. Mama may have been a little naughty with Victor's credit card while she was out and about with her coach...that has about as much impulse control as she does.

"For me?" Yurio's face lit up.

"No, silly," I pulled out a box, "For me. I can't treat myself once in a while?"

"Oh," I crushed his spirits, "What did you get?"

"A new pair of skates," I took the mint and silver skates out of their box, "If I'm going to make my comeback, I might as well do it in style. What do you think?"

"They look nice."

"I'm glad you say that," I grabbed the other box, "Because I got you a pair, too."

"Really?" And there was his excitement again. Yurio dug through the paper to the pair of black and gold skates hiding underneath.

"Your old skates were looking rough," I told him, "Do you like them?"

"I love them!" I wish I had the time to weather them a little to go with his costume, but not necessary.

"I thought you would," I hugged my baby, "I'm proud of how far you've come, Yuri. Are you ready to fight the final boss?"

"Definitely," the fire burned in Yurio's eyes. He's ready, "Hey, Mama...?"

"What?"

"When this is over," he begged, "Will you teach me your Lady Marmalade routine?"

"I told you, Yuri," I giggled, "No. Not even when you're older. That's not a routine meant for you. I didn't even want you seeing it when we were at the rink the other day, but Victor bullied me into it."

"Not even to do for practice?"

"Yuri..." I scolded him, "I'm not teaching you any of my burlesque routines. You ask me again and I'm returning your skates."

"Ok," he bit his tongue, "I won't."

"Good," I put Yurio's skates on for him, "They're not too tight, are they?"

"No," Yurio shook his head, "Perfect fit."

"Wonderful," I helped him to his feet, "Go get your costume. We'll break them in real quick."

"Ok," he jumped down and ran to the closet in the other room.

"What got into him?" Chris asked as I came back into our living room, "I try getting him to do anything, it's like I might as well have been pulling teeth."

"Amazing what a new pair of shoes can do," I beamed, "They're magical."

"Witchcraft!" Victor called out, "It's not coincidence. It's witchcraft."

"Victor," I rolled my eyes, giggling at this lovable idiot, "I told you once. I'll tell you again. It's not witchcraft. I know how to work him. You make it too difficult on yourself. Or Yurio hates you. Either way."

"Yurio doesn't hate me," he reciprocated my sentiment, "He and I were having quite a time the other day."

"For the first time in how long?" I jabbed.

"I don't know," Victor pulled Yuri toward him, "And I don't care. I'm still chalking it up to a win."

"Oh, Victor…" I let out a heavy, exasperated sigh, shooting a look to Chris, "Are you prepared to deal with him if he wins?"

"I think we'll figure something out," Chris gave me a wink, "Won't we, Vitya? You'll behave for Headmaster, won't you?"

"Yes, Headmaster…" Victor blushed, then realized we were in little mixed company, "Not here, Chris. Pas devant les bébés (Not in front of the babies.)."

"Bien," Chris let it go, "I understand. I suppose if they're going to be around more often, I should learn to curb my tongue."

"Yuri doesn't know French," Victor found the loophole.

"But you do," Chris had a dirty grin on his face, "Si votre femme et votre fils n'étaient pas là, je vous ravagerais."

"Mais sa femme connaît le français! (But his wife knows French!)" I cringed, "And she doesn't need to hear that."

"Mama," Yuri wondered, "What are they saying?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." I swear to God, I wanted to knock their heads together. Those two were so lucky I loved them.

"Je suis désolé, Violet," Chris apologized, "No more dirty talk in French when the boys are around."

"Mama," Yurio came out of the bathroom, "Are we leaving yet?"

I checked the time on my phone, "We should get going. Ready, dovahkiin?"

"Born ready," Yurio must have psyched himself up in the mirror. The fire burned in his eyes and in his heart, "Let's go! But we'll have some time to get some practice in, right, Mama?"

"Yes, we do," I took his hand, "We'll meet you boys at the rink, yeah?"

"Good luck, Violet," Victor gave me a little kiss, "I'll start looking for garter belts."

"Or for real estate," I retaliated, "To up the ante here, I'll even get ordained and marry you two myself."

"You wouldn't have to do that," he awed, "But I appreciate the thought."

"Good luck."

"You, too."

On the best of terms, I left Victor with Chris and Yuri and took Yurio down to the rink. When Victor said Yurio needed work the other day, he wasn't saying it to be mean. He was genuine about it. Yurio could pretend all he wanted. As soon as it came down to competition time, he'd get jittery. That was a natural performer thing. I got the same way when I'd be doing burlesque shows. Although, my boss' suggestion for that was to down three shots of whiskey before I went on, I'd have to give Yurio a more non-alcoholic solution.

"Mama," he asked as the two of us boarded the subway, "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere wonderful," I promised, "You'll see when we get there."

"But," Yurio thought it over, "I thought the Staples Center was the other way."

"It is," I nodded, "We're not going there quite yet."

In a cute little corner of Brooklyn was a sort of hobbit hole. Not exactly a hobbit hole, but a hole in the wall nonetheless. One of those places where everybody knew my name even before I became famous. Because in this hallowed hall would be where I meet my husband and his boyfriend for this first time. However, because it was so early in the day yet, the clientele was currently nonexistent.

"Uh, Mama," Yurio looked around, "What is this place?"

"The sanctum," I smiled, "You need to speak with someone very special to me."

"Who?" he worried. Yurio rarely did well with new people, "I'm sure Celestino's not here."

"It wouldn't surprise me if he was upstairs," I grumbled under my breath, "But you need to meet the madame."

"Who's that?"

"You'll see," I didn't know quite how to explain the madame. I guess the best way would be Yuri and Yurio's unofficial grandmother. We weren't in just any hole in the wall in Brooklyn. This was my hole in the wall.

"Sorry, sweetheart," an older woman pulled on another girl's corset laces, "We're full up on the bill tonight. We're not looking for any more dancers."

"It's been a long time since you've had to say that to me, Madame," I grinned, "I'm not looking for work."

"Violet..." her heart stopped. She tied a quick bow in the laces and threw her arms around me...Then shoved her finger as hard as humanly possible into my collarbone, "Don't you ever leave me like that again. Give me a little bit of a warning next time you take off, got it?"

"I missed you, too," I hugged her back, never wanting to let go, "I can't stay long. I have to be at the Staples Center soon."

"That's right," Madame nodded, "You have that skating thing tonight, don't you?"

"It's not me skating," I nudged Yurio forward, "It's him. This is my son, Yuri. Yuri, this is the madame. She's the one who taught me to give a pep talk. Every night when I'd have to go out on that stage, I'd want to turn around and head home. Every single night. You know why I'd go out anyway?"

"Why?" Yurio asked.

"Because the madame would insist," I told.

"It's so nice to meet you, Yuri," she hugged him, too, practically suffocating him in her chest, "He's not American, is he?"

"He's Russian," I explained, "He's also not biologically mine. Yuri was adopted along with his older brother."

"Are they related?"

"No."

"So," Madame sat Yurio on her lap, "What seems to have you all nerved up, baby?"

"It's the last competition," Yurio vented, "And I want to make Mama proud."

"You made it to the final competition," I awed, "I'm already proud of you."

"But it's my first final," he went on, "If I win here, then I'll have my name spoken across the world."

"Oh, honey," Madame pointed out, "You don't look at the internet, do you?"

"The boys aren't allowed on Victor's computer," I bit my lip, "A couple wrong clicks and things are going to get very weird very quickly."

"Like what?" she scoffed, "So they'll see a couple nudie shots. Big deal."

"Madame!" I whined, "I don't want to have the talk with my eight and nine-year-old quite yet."

"Sharmay!" a familiar voice barked out, "Are the girls ready yet?"

"Keep your rug on, Ernie," Madame shut him up, "I'm with someone."

"Who?"

"Violet Plisetsky!"

"Nikiforov," I corrected. For now anyway.

"Violet?" Ernie joined us, "Lady Marmalade herself?"

"Hi, Ernie," I gagged a bit. Ernie never sat well with me. He made me uncomfortable. Out of all the guys that'd come in here and hit on me or grope me, Ernie was the worst offender. But it was his club and I needed the money. We didn't exactly have someone in HR we could talk to.

"Well, well, well," he looked me over, "The whole skating thing not work out for you?"

"The whole skating thing worked wonderfully for me," I assured, "I'm just here for a few words with the madame."

"Who am I to stop you?" Ernie let us go, but not without setting his eyes on the baby on the madame's lap, "Who do we have here? Aren't you a little young to be in a place like this?"

"I'm eight," Yurio growled at him, picking up on my apprehension, "I'm not here for the ladies. I'm here with my mama."

"Alright," Ernie yelled, "Who brought their little brat with them to work today?"

"He's my little brat," I glared a hole through him, "Thank you very much."

"Oh," he brushed me off, "Hurry up, Sharmay. We're going to have a full house tonight."

"I'll finish when I'm damn well good and ready," Madame took my side. Just like she always did when Ernie and I got into it, "And it's Madame Sharmay to you."

Ernie scurried off to wherever the other cockroaches hung out in this place. Because of our bond, Ernie was always terrified of the madame. She always took care of the girls in this place anyway. That's how she became the madame in the first place. But it's pretty safe to say that I was her favorite. In all honesty, it wouldn't surprise me if she's religiously kept up with my skating career, including my recent foray into coaching.

"Thank you, Madame," I turned into a puddle.

"No problem, honey," she cradled my cheek in her hand, "And Yuri, good luck tonight. I'll be watching. Don't worry so much. I know you make your mama very proud."

"Am I..." Yurio got really quiet and looked up at me, "Am I worthy of being called dragonborn?"

"You are dragonborn," I promised him, sitting him on my hip, "You're my little dovahkiin and I love you. No matter what happens at this competition, you are my dragonborn. Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me, kid. I'm not going anywhere."

"I love you, Mama," he laid his head on my shoulder, "I think I'm ready to go."

"We need to be off anyway," I checked my phone, "You still need to get a little practice in before things get started anyway."

"He's awfully sweet, Vi," Madame smiled, "Are you sure he's the son of a dragon?"

"I'm sure," I nodded, "He's got a lot of heart and a lot of spirit. Adopted or not, he gets that from me."

"Good luck, sweetie," she kissed my baby's forehead, "Both of you."

"Thank you, Madame," my face scrunched up, "Hopefully, this won't be the last we see of you while we're here."

"Come see me later," Madame insisted, "When the curtains close."

"But that's two in the morning," I cringed, "I think the boys will be in bed. As will I."

"You know what I meant," she scolded, "Go."

The two of us left the club and got back onto the subway. We needed to get to the Staples Center as soon as humanly possible. Because we had a competition to either win or throw. I still wasn't quite sure about that yet. I wish I would've had more time to talk that out with the madame. I'm sure she'd be able to knock some sense into me. She had a hell of a talent for that.

As soon as we got there, as per usual, we were bombarded with reporters wanting quotes from both Yurio and me. Thank God for Celestino. That's all I can say about that. He stiff armed everyone away from us and brought us rinkside where all the other skaters were getting ready for what was about to unfold.

"Where have you been?" Celestino worried, "I thought I was going to have to send a search party."

"And why are you covered in glitter?" Victor pulled some out of my hair and wiped more off my face.

"Did you take Yurio to a strip club?" Chris worried, helping out with my glitter situation.

"No," I rolled my eyes, "I'm a little more responsible than that."

"She took me to see the madame," Yurio chimed in.

"So, you took him to his first brothel?" Celestino assumed.

"No, no," Victor knew exactly what Yurio meant, "Not that kind of madame. And how is she doing?"

"She's pissed I left without a trace," I reported, "But all in all, she hopes we do well."

"Remember, Violet," Victor took a more authoritative tone, "No throwing this."

"We won't," I smirked, looking down at our son, "You got this, don't you, dovahkiin?"

"I might as well tell the engraver to put my name on the gold already," Yurio boasted.

"That's my boy," I beamed, overflowing with pride, "Where did you guys draw?"

"Second," Victor told me, "You?"

"Fourth."

"Lucky," he stuck his tongue out at me, very maturely.

"Ok, Yuri," I got down to his level, "You have two choices. We go in the back and practice a few things or you stay and watch your brother. Which is it?"

"I want to practice," Yurio decided, "If piggy's doing better than me, I don't want to see it. It'll throw me off."

"You'll do great," I kept his confidence up, taking the guards off his skates, "Go warm up with the others."

"Ok."

"You, too, Yuri," Victor did the same.

"Good luck, baby," I gave my oldest son a quick hug.

"Thanks, Mama," he blushed a little.

"What about me?" Yurio got defensive.

"We already know you're going to win," I scoffed, "You don't need luck. You have pure skill."

"Yeah, I do!" he squealed, running out to the ice with Yuri following behind him.

"Well?" Victor threw his arm around my waist, "Are you nervous?"

"No," I reveled in his embrace, "You?"

"Either way," he figured, "One of our boys is going to come out on top. I thought telling Yuri that our marriage hinged on whether or not he won was a bad idea. You didn't tell Yurio, did you?"

"No," I shook my head, "No, no, no. We don't tell them about our bet until there's something to tell."

"Deal," Victor buried his face in my neck, "I don't know whether I want you to win or lose."

Victor's words hit me like a Mack truck. It would be amazing if Yuri won on his debut, but that would mean our divorce. It'd be just as wonderful if Yurio were to win, but that meant things staying just the way they are. I knew deep down that couldn't happen. I wanted to see him happy. I guess we'll find out which one it's going to be now, won't we?

 **A/N: I know I said I'd be ending it this week. Well, kids. I lied. I couldn't fit it all into this chapter. So! We're going to be coming back in August! You'll be coming back on the 31** **st** **, actually. So, not quite in August. There's only a week between your next updates. You'll make it. Also, the little naughty bit of French that Chris told Victor that went untranslated? Yeah…That's not for your young eyes to see. If you're going to translate it yourself, that's all on you. I'm not going to stop you. Mostly because I physically can't. But all that aside, I'm going to give this another couple chapters when we come back, if that's alright with you. I'm sure it is. So until then, see you next chapter! xx**


	30. Battleground

**A/N: Well, hi there! Welcome back to semi-regularly scheduled programming! You just happened to land back on the week where I'm doing a special for my Black Butler fic. It'll be two years on Wednesday that I started posting fic at all, so happy FF birthday to me! Yay! That's why you lovelies are getting your chapter today and next week, we will get back to everything being the way it usually is. Ok? Let's get to the competition, shall we?**

 **When we last left off, it's come down to the wire. It's Yuri v. Yurio. Victor v. Violet. It's Junior Grand Prix time. Remember, Victor and Violet have a bet going where if Victor and Yuri win, Victor and Violet get a divorce and he married Chris. If Violet and Yurio win, Victor's doing one of Violet's old burlesque routines for an audience. But in all honesty, if you ask me, I think Victor would make a really beautiful drag queen. But that's just me. Let's read on, shall we?**

Yuri had a hard time being still. I'm sure Victor had him all worked up about how important this event is. Especially with the kind of stakes on the line. Something about telling the kids that how well they do here will directly affect Mama and Daddy's marriage didn't sit well with me. And right before competition. I could tell when one of my babies was a little bundle of nerves.

"Yuri?" I gave him a nudge, "Are you ok, sweetheart?"

"Yeah," Yuri rocked himself, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" I sat with him.

"Uh-huh..."

That was a line of crap. I knew him better than that. I sat Yuri on my lap, holding him against my chest, "Ok. I know you're oging to do great. No matter what."

"Thanks, Mama," Yuri laid his head in my shoulder, already starting to settle down.

"Hey, piggy," Yurio finished stretching, "Good luck."

"Thank you, Yurio," Yuri jumped down from my lap. Where the hell did Victor run off to? Yuri's about to go on. One would think his coach would be here to psych him up. Come to think of it, Chris was nowhere to be found either...I'm not going to ask...I've learned not to when it comes to those two. That's how we end up ruining Christmas.

"You can do this, baby," I kissed Yuri's cheek, "I'm going to go find Daddy, ok?"

"Ok," Yuri laced his skates up.

"Hey, Celestino," I grabbed my coach's arm, "You think you could keep an eye on these two? I have to go find Victor."

"Go ahead," he let me go, "I can handle this."

"If Yuri gets any worse," I warned him, "Text me. Call me. Let me know somehow."

"I will," Celestino shooed me out, "Now, go. Find your husband."

Husband for now, anyway. I left my boys in my coach's relatively capable hands and went on a great, grand search for Chris and Victor. God only knows where those two ran off to. Where to start...Calling him would probably be a good idea. Something to ease my mind a bit. I took my phone from my jacket pocket and dialed his number.

Ring...

Ring...

Ring...

"Hello!" my phone speaker barked at me, "You've reached the voicemail of Victor Nikiforov. Yes. That one. Please leave a message and I'll do my best to get back to you!"

Dammit. No sense in leaving a message. I'm sure he'd call me back. Eventually. I'm starting to worry about him. New York is a big city. What if something happened to him and I'm going to have to raise the boys on my own? Or with Chris? That'd really be the Jerry Springer moment to top this off with. Raising my adoptive sons with my husband's boyfriend. That'd be just as weird as taking Chris up on that offer to join them in their Twister game and me ending up pregnant. Who would be the father? Is it my husband? Is it one of my best friends that's also casually sleeping with my husband on the side?

You're overthinking again, Violet. Celestino was right. I talk too much when I'm nervous. I'm sure he's fine. Victor and Chris ran off to sneak in a little emergency stress relief before the competition. I remember when we were still competing. Victor would do the same thing before we'd go on. I just wish he would've told me where the hell he was going to be.

"Are you sure you're going to be ok?" Chris?

"I don't know," Victor's voice shook, "I love her, Chris. I really do. But if we end up winning, we're done. And it'd be such a big step for us. Are we even ready to do something as stupid as get married? Are we ready for that kind of a backlash? And what about the boys? How do we explain that to them?"

He was...Scared? Victor? My Victor? In the span of our marriage, I've never seen him so freaked. I knew the breakdown was inevitable, but I never thought I'd be seeing it with my own two eyes. Let alone eavesdropping on it. I always thought I'd help him through it like he's done with me for all these years.

"Vitya," Chris comforted him, "If the thought of us getting married is stupid, then the two of us are the biggest idiots in the world. It's alright if you're nervous. I understand. But we can get through it. We've managed to dodge the press for the past ten years about our relationship. If they know, then so be it. They'll know that I have the most wonderful husband in the world. And if they don't like it, they can kiss my perfect ass. As for the boys, I'm sure they'll understand. It's like Violet said. She's not leaving them. Everything's going to be fine."

"I love you..."

"I love you, too," Chris kissed the top of Victor's head, "Win or lose today, that's not going to change. Although, your last name might."

"You think I'm taking your name?" Victor giggled, "I don't think so. You're taking mine."

"You're high," Chris gave him a shove, "You're taking mine and you know it."

"Hey," I broke them up, "Where have you boys been? Yuri's about to go on."

"Ok," Victor pulled himself together, "How is he?"

"You know how Yuri gets before a competition," I reminded him, taking his hand, "He's a little jittery, but I got him to calm down. And I think Yurio might have helped a little, too."

Yurio knew how to take care of Yuri when he was on shaky ground. Granted, at the time, it may not be the most gentle way of getting Yuri to relax, but it seems to work. Yurio had a brand of tough love all his own. And for whatever reason, it worked like a charm on his older brother. Yurio could say he hated Yuri all he wanted, but deep down, they really were brothers. I just hope that if Yuri wins tonight, they keep looking out for each other.

"Daddy!" Yuri ran to Victor's arms, "Where were you? I didn't know where you went."

"Uncle Chris and I had to talk for a minute," Victor cradled Yuri against his body, "I'm sorry, Yuri. But you're ok now, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Yuri had a smile on his face. That's all that mattered.

"Go on," Victor put him down, nudging him toward the ice, "Skate just like you do in practice."

"I will!" Yuri skated out to the center of the ice and began his routine.

"Hey, dovahkiin," I looked down at my other son, tying the laces on his skates, "You want to stay and watch?"

"Yeah," Yurio scaled up my leg and sat on my shoulders, "I want to see how piggy does under pressure."

"Believe it or not," Victor chimed in, "Yuri does excellent under pressure. The more, the better. He cracks and grows a new layer almost instantaneously. And he always comes out stronger."

"That's true," I nodded as Yuri landed his first jump, "Case in point. Not bad, Victor. Not bad."

"I try," he blushed a little, "I guess coaching him came natural."

"That doesn't make you the superior coach, though," I jabbed, "We have yet to go on."

"And we will end you," Yurio threatened.

"Yuri," I settled him, "A little trash talk is customary, but death threats are where we draw the line."

"Fine."

And before we knew it, Yuri's routine came to an end and the judges tallied his score. A respectable 91.24. I would've given it a little higher, but I'm not a judge. And I also might be a little biased. And trying to rig this so Yuri wins and Victor can get his chance at happiness with the man I know he loves more than me.

"Not bad," Yurio approved, "I'll probably do better, but not bad."

"Yurio," I scolded him, "Remember…"

"You said trash talk was customary," he threw my words back at me. I think it's safe to say that, despite Yuri's well done performance, Yurio wasn't shaken in the least.

"You can also get through this sport without it," I retaliated, "I did."

"We know," Victor praised, "And we're all very proud."

"Representing Kazakhstan," the announcer barked out, "Otabek Altin."

"Beka!" Yurio called out, making Otabek look toward him, "Davai!"

Otabek gave him a quick thumbs up before skating out to the center of the ice. It's pretty safe to say that those two are more than just rivals. Who would've thought my antisocial angel would've made a friend on these harsh streets of competitive figure skating? Then again, I really shouldn't be. I knew of a socially inept little girl that made two of the best friends she could've asked for because of the harsh streets of competitive figure skating. And she had work to do.

"Come on, Yurio," I took his hand, "We need to be in the locker room."

"But Mama," Yurio begged, "I want to stay and watch Beka's performance."

"We can't," I explained, "Because someone thought his games were more important than getting ready. Then, we had to go visit the madame, so we had almost no time. If I were smarter, I would've been getting you ready with the girls, but alas. Now, come on."

"But Mama…" I hated when Yurio got whiny, "Please? I want to watch Beka…"

I thought it over for maybe a minute or two before completely caving. I couldn't say no to that face, "Fine. You can stay for the first half, but for the second half, we're in that locker room. Deal?"

"Deal!" Yurio sat on the edge of the partition and watched intently at every move Otabek made. And I saw something there. A certain spark that I've seen before. I just couldn't place it.

Halfway through Otabek's performance, as promised, Yurio and I went back in the locker room and got him ready. Yurio and I decided to go more for simple than over the top. We don't need extravagant pageantry to win. He could do it on pure talent and skill alone. I wouldn't have taught him any different. Although…I still wasn't sure if I wanted him to win or not. Of course I wanted him to win, but on the same token, I knew what his loss meant.

"Mama?" Yurio wondered, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I lied through my teeth, "Why do you ask?"

"You don't seem fine." Damn. That kid's more perceptive than I give him credit for.

"It's nothing you need to worry about, Yuri," I promised, tying his hair off, "Mama's got a lot on her mind. That's all."

"Ok." In that moment, instead of our usual pregaming ritual, Yurio threw his arms around my neck, "I love you, Mama."

I turned into a puddle, "I love you, too, baby. Never ever forget that."

"Only if you promise to never forget you're the best dragon in the world."

This kid's out to make me cry. I swear to God, "Alright, dovahkiin. Who's my little dragonborn?"

"I am!" Yurio started to psych himself up.

"You ready to go fight your monster?"

"More than ready!"

"Let's do this!"

The two of us went back out to the rink and Yurio went right to the center of the ice. We've been training for this day, this moment for so long now. We've had to deal with asshole coaches, brushes with an eating disorder, all the travel. And now, Victor and my marriage was on the line. Come on, Yurio. You know that even if you lose, I'll be proud of you. Tying exactly with Yuri would be the only way of getting out of this idiotic bet that shouldn't have been made in the first place. Why couldn't we have bet money instead of this?

I watched Yurio skate to the Tale of the Dragonborn, giving it less than he usually did. What the hell, kid? You're better than this. Why are you getting tripped up now? Then, what Celestino told me had slipped into my thoughts. If I'm not relaxed, he's not relaxed. And I needed to get him to settle down out there from over here…The only way I could think to do that is to jump on the mic again, but it's too late for that.

Still, my baby crushed his routine. Not as good as what he could've done, but still made me proud, "How'd I do, Mama?"

"Very well, Yuri," I kissed his little cheek, "I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'm so proud of you for getting to the finals. You're taking hardware home if you win or lose here."

We waited with baited breath for the results. 91.12…Yurio wasn't out to hear Yuri's score. I'm sure that 0.12-point difference would be the punch to the gut he didn't need. But the kid got sloppy. I wonder why…Was it me? Was it because I wouldn't tell him what was bothering me? Because he seemed so strong in the locker room. Like he was ready to kick someone's ass, even if it was his own ass. I guess Yurio does take after his mama. He can put up some serious walls, too. The rest of the skaters did their routines and we waited to hear the podium announcements. If I had this right, all of my boys made the podium.

"In third place," the emcee announced, "Otabek Altin."

"You did great, Beka," Yurio praised.

"Thanks, Yura," Otabek skated out to the podium.

"In second place," the emcee went on, "Yuri Plisetsky."

"I'm proud of you, sweetheart," I kissed his cheek, sending him back to the ice.

"I love you, Mama," Yurio hugged me tight before going back.

"And our winner," the emcee kept the crowd in suspense. I looked over at Victor, who couldn't be prouder, "Yuri Nikiforov!"

"I won!" Yuri lit up, "I won!"

"Yeah," my voice broke, "Congratulations, Yuri."

Yuri skated to center ice and I did all I could to keep myself from crying. My boys have come so far since Yuri was scraping his shins and Yurio was eating the ice. If anyone was going to be in the top two, I'm glad it was them. But I knew what Yuri's win meant. As did his father. Victor took my trembling hand in a gesture of solidarity.

"Violet," he worried, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I nodded, burying my face in his chest, "I'm fine."

Was I, though? I'd have to explain to my boys right off their Grand Prix debut that Victor and I were getting divorced. Life as I knew it was about to change drastically. And I didn't want them to have that kind of stress in their lives, but we were going to go through it. Luckily, I know I wasn't going to have to go through it alone.

 **A/N: Yay! Yuri won! Yay…? And by such a slim margin? Where have I heard this one before? I knew it was going to be like the .12 that Yurio beat Yuri by (spoiler) in the anime because I'm cheeky like that. But I'm still proud of those two. They've worked their asses off all season to get where they were and they conquered.**

 **Now, we have the post season banquet to look forward to. Next week. Pinky promise. And maybe then, I'll have that one up at a more human hour. I've been really bad about posting late the past few weeks. I don't know why. I don't know what's going on, but one thing is certain. See you next chapter! xx**


	31. THAT Talk

**A/N: Hi, guys…You doing ok? You want a cookie? Or a brownie? I made brownies the other day. They're mint chip brownies. And they're delightful. Granted, they came from a mix, but still good, nonetheless. Suspicious? I'm not acting suspicious. This is going to be a fine chapter. Everything's going to be fun and lighthearted and…and…You know I'm lying, don't you? You know that there are going to be moments in this chapter that aren't going to be nice and will slap you across the face with a freshly caught salmon. Keep that whole darkest before the dawn thing in mind, though. Because we'll get the dark, but we'll have the dawn, too. We'll be alright. Now, when you're ready, feel free to read on and we can talk later.**

Fresh off Yuri's Junior Grand Prix win, the six of us went back to the hotel. Finally, the moment I've been dreading since Yuri got his medal. I can do this. Chris and Victor would be able to back me up on this. I'm not doing it completely alone. All I hope is this comes out with little to no bloodshed and the boys understand.

"I still can't believe I won," Yuri gasped, going through a minor existential crisis on our bed.

"I can't believe you beat me," Yurio pouted.

"Next year, Yurio," Celestino cheered him on, "If it's alright with your mama, I'd love to be able to coach you for next season when she can't."

"I appreciate the thought, Coach," I thanked, taking my own seat on the bed, "But Yurio and I are a package deal. I'm his only coach. And you're going to have your hands full with another skater next season!"

"True," he threw an arm around me.

"Thanks, Mama," Yurio curled up in my lap, "You'll really never leave?"

"Actually, Yurio," I let out a heavy sigh, "Your father and I need to have a little talk with you and Yuri. Celestino, could we have a minute?"

"Sure," he allowed, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," I brushed him off, "Don't worry about it."

"Ok," Celestino gave me a little kiss on the top of my head and left us to our devices.

"What is it, Mama?" Yuri asked.

"Well, boys..." I tried to mentally prepare myself for this, but there was nothing that could. I might as well just spit it out, "I hate to do this to you after your Junior performances, but your father and I are getting a divorce."

"What?!" Yurio screeched while Yuri was shaking on the other side of me.

"Listen, baby," I put my hand on his shoulder, but Yurio shook me off, "I understand why you'd be upset."

"You made a promise to me, Mama," his voice broke...along with my heart, "You said you'd never leave me. And now, you're going to leave me with him? Of all people?"

"Yurio," Victor stepped in, "Hear her out. She's not leaving you."

"Is that not what a divorce is?" Yurio snarled, "You two split up, Mama leaves?"

"Listen to me, sweetheart," I held him against my chest, never wanting to let him go, "I promised you I'd never leave you. This divorce is between Victor and me."

"But we're going to have to deal with the fallout," he pointed out.

"There isn't going to be any fallout," I swore, scooping Yuri up, too, "Because I'm not going anywhere. In fact, our divorce is going to be a good thing for all of us."

"Why?" Yuri was skeptical, but hopeful.

"You guys like it here, don't you?" Victor wondered.

"Yeah," Yurio nodded, sharing his brother's skepticism.

"How would you feel," I smiled, "about moving to New York?"

"We're leaving Russia?" Yuri looked up at me, then over at Victor, "Are we really?"

"That's right, Yuri," Victor took him off my hands, "And that's not all. We're going to have a new apartment and Mama's going to have a new apartment."

"At my apartment," I knew this was getting Yurio. It had to, "When Auntie Nat sends Makkachin, she's also going to send a little tiger cub named Nadya to come live with me."

"I'm getting my kitten!" Yurio's face lit up. Yep. I got him.

"That's not the only new roommate we're getting," Victor bit his lip. I knew this was going to be hard on him. He knew how Yurio felt about Chris and since the boys were going to still live with Victor, this could possibly be like a nuclear bomb, "Instead of Mama living with us, Uncle Chris is going to move in."

"Really?" Yurio's smile went away.

"It'll be an adjustment," Chris chimed in, "But I think we can do it."

"Yay!" Yuri jumped into Chris' lap.

"I'm glad you think that, Yuri," he snuggled him, "It will be like when I come to visit, only longer."

"Does this mean I get to have a successful lock on my door?" Yurio kept his fingers crossed.

"You don't need a lock," I promised, "Don't worry, Yurio. I'll still be around. Besides, I'm pretty sure that both Victor and Uncle Chris are afraid to wake you up."

"I still have the scar to prove it," Chris chuckled, tracing the little crescent scar on his hand.

"Oven mitts," Victor suggested, "Oven mitts work like a charm."

"Or being me," I hugged my baby in my lap, "You wouldn't bite me, would you, dovahkiin?"

"You're smart enough to keep your hands away from my mouth," Yurio laid his head on my chest, "Those two aren't."

"Witchcraft," Victor claimed, "I swear it's witchcraft."

"So," I brought it back, "What are you guys thinking? You think you can do this?"

"Definitely!" Yuri squeaked. He always did have a soft spot for Chris.

"I guess," Yurio grumbled, "Only if I still get to see you."

"Of course you will," I kissed his cheek, "Every day. I still have to coach you, don't I? We're not taking second next year. We're coming for Yuri's gold medal and Victor's records. We've had this conversation."

"But Mama," he thought, "You have your comeback to worry about."

"And that's for me to worry about," I clarified, "You need to bring Mama home a gold medal. You worry about that."

"Ok," Yurio curled up into a little ball, "Mama..."

"Yeah, baby?"

"Since our special program is tomorrow," he suggested, "Will you skate Primadonna with me?"

This kid was going to be the death of me. I swear to God...Both Yurio and I knew his Primadonna set like the backs of our hands. That was our first practice song. We made a whole routine for it for fun. But I knew Yurio was a better skater now than when he first started. During our battle the day before his first competition, I couldn't go easy on him for the sake of my pride. I had a better idea.

"No," I said, "I'm not skating Primadonna with you."

"Please?" Yurio begged, "I want to skate Primadonna, but I don't want to do it by myself!"

"You're better than that, Yurio," I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and scrolled through my phone for one specific song, "Here. Put your headphones in. Listen to this. Learn it. Feel it. If we're going to do your special program together, this is what we're doing. Trust me. We'll bring down the house."

"Ok," he nodded, "As long as we get to skate together again."

"What is it, Violet?" Victor wondered.

"Not telling," I had a dirty little grin on my face. This was going to be Yurio's and my swan song/my reintroduction into the skating world. Like I was going to tell anyone other than Yurio, "I'll talk to Celestino and see if he can get us some alone time on the rink tomorrow morning to practice for tomorrow night, ok?"

"Ok," Yurio let out a tiny yawn, "But for now, can I go to sleep?"

"Sure, sweetheart," I laid him on the bed.

"Violet," Victor asked, "Are you busy tonight?"

"You know I'm not," I gave him a look, "Why?"

"Because," he smiled, "I have Celestino watching the boys tonight."

"I thought you weren't doing that," Chris chimed in.

"No," Victor shook his head, "I'm too committed."

"Where are we going, boys?" I asked, tucking Yurio in.

"It's a surprise."

That didn't make me worried. Not at all. This made me more nervous than telling the boys about our divorce. My slightly spastic future ex-husband/my best friend in the whole wide world...Especially when he was with Chris. Those two liked to gang up on me when it came to overly elaborate surprises. I had a feeling this wouldn't be any different.

I put my little boys to bed and went down to the lobby to hit the streets of New York with my big boys. God only knows what they were up to. I guess if I was keeping Yurio's special program to myself, Victor can keep his secrets, too. This felt just like the good old days. Fresh off competition in New York with Chris and Victor. I missed this...What I didn't miss was being completely mobbed by reporters in the lobby.

"Violet!"

"Violet!"

"Are you really coming back to competitive figure skating?"

"Who's going to be coaching you?"

"What can we expect from you this upcoming season?"

"Will it be anything like the video?"

"Can we get an interview?"

"Will you be couples skating with Victor Nikiforov?"

"Does your comeback mean you're no longer going to be coaching Yuri Plisetsky?"

"Are you two splitting on good terms?"

"No comment on anything for now," I tried to weasel my way out of the crowd, "Please. Can I go now?"

Somehow, we managed to get out alive and without any battle scars. I loved the feeling of the bright lights on my skin. I loved the coolness coming from the ice. I loved the roars of the crowd and the adrenaline buzz they gave me. But the press? The vultures they are? Not so much. Wait a minute...What video?

"Are you alright, Violet?" Victor checked me over.

"I will be," I promised, "What video do you think they were talking about? The one that guy got of us?"

"Probably not," he bit his lip, "Regardless of our divorce, you still love me, right?"

"Victor," I glared a hole through him, "What did you do?"

"Some of that might have been my fault," he cringed, "Answer the question."

"I don't know if I still love you," my blood boiled, "It all depends on what you did."

"Do you remember on Yuri's birthday," Victor sang, "and I kind of bullied you into doing Lady Marmalade on the ice?"

"Victor," I took a healthy step away from him for his own protection, "What did you do?"

"I might have posted the video after Yuri won," he braced himself, "And it might have already gone viral."

I did a little bit of deep breathing to calm myself down, "I'm going to kill you now. With one of my skates. I'm going to use the blade and cut your ass."

"Violet," Chris pulled me into his chest, holding me back, "Relax...It's been done. There's no going back. No sense dwelling on it."

"Doesn't mean I can't still kick the crap out of Victor for doing it in the first place!" I snapped, "Why did you post Lady Marmalade?"

"I would've put that video on the fridge if I could," Victor defended, "And I thought it would've been a nice way to announce your comeback."

"That was one of those things," I ranted, "I wanted to do on my own terms! That was for me to do, not you!"

"Violet, listen," he tried to settle me down, "It was just a video. I didn't realize that people were going to react that way. And you said you wanted to announce your comeback after the competition."

"Not seconds after!" I growled.

"Come on," Victor took my hand (because that's the only way to keep it from going around his throat right now), "I have something I want to show you that I think will cheer you up and help you forget about this whole mess."

"What?" I pouted.

"You'll see."

Victor, Chris, and I ended up in a familiar, little corner of Williamsburg that I happened to be at earlier in the evening. This took me back. Even after I started skating, I'd still come to see burlesque shows with my boys. These girls worked too hard not to be appreciated. What we were doing here now was beyond me.

Stranger yet, once we got inside the club, Victor managed to slip Chris and me. I gave him a quick poke, "Chris, where'd our husband go?"

"I thought he was with you," Chris assumed.

"You know we can't leave him unattended," I groaned. Victor was always the type to start chasing a pretty butterfly or a balloon and end up on a busy freeway at rush hour.

"I know," he sat down, "But I'm sure he'll turn up somewhere."

"Either on the six o'clock news or the most wanted list," I joked. But in all seriousness, despite me being a little pissed off at him, I was worried. Victor didn't just fall off the map like that.

But before we knew it, the lights were going out and the emcee was walking on the stage. The full house we had broke into a raucous applause, taking me back even further. The hits of nostalgia just kept coming and coming. A couple of tears fell from my eyes and Chris took notice.

"Violet?" he worried, "Are you ok? He'll be back."

"It's not that," I wiped my cheeks, "It's just...This is where our story began. You, me, and Victor when I was up there and I used to be Lady Marmalade."

"You're still Lady Marmalade, mon ami," Chris held my hand, "Deep down. And I'm not the only one who's seen it."

"How many views does the video have?" I asked.

"Hold on," he checked his phone, "A little over three million."

"Maybe Lady Marmalade can be my rebranding," I thought it over, "I was always pretty pure and innocent the first time around. Maybe it's time for a change."

"Maybe it is..."

"Hello, everyone!" the emcee barked out, "For one night and one night only, we're going to be revisiting a classic with a bit of a twist. So, please put your hands together and hold onto your hats. Ladies and gentlemen...Welcome to the Moulin Rouge..."

In that moment, I felt all the color drain from my face, "Chris, where's Victor?"

"I don't know," he shrugged.

"My ass, you don't know," I snapped, "Where is he?"

"I don't know!" Chris promised, "If I knew, Violet, I'd tell you, but I don't. I'm sorry."

Victor doesn't normally go missing long. I'm sure he'll be back here soon enough. Maybe he went to the bathroom or he stepped outside to get some air. Either way, the curtain went up and the usual suspects were front and center. It's been a long time, but the same girls were still there. I had heard they retired Lady Marmalade after I left. Maybe because this was a one-night thing, they brought the original girls back.

In that case, what was I doing down here? And why didn't I hear of this reunion tour? I still remembered the choreography. Obviously. I just made it viral! I was here earlier tonight talking to the madame. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to see me back up there again. Who did they have as their Lady Marmalade?

I kept an eye on the dancer in the back doing my routine without flaw. She's gorgeous. Porcelain skin, soft features, long, light hair. I couldn't make much of her face, though, but like me, she had legs for days, too. This girl was definitely a dancer. There's no doubt. She couldn't get muscles in her legs like that any other way. This girl was killing it! Almost good enough to replace me...

Until she made her transformation from innocent little angel to Lady Marmalade. Only she was no lady. I never thought I'd ever see the day where I'd see my future ex-husband in garter belts and a blood red corset. I didn't understand. I lost. What the hell was Victor Nikiforov doing dancing my burlesque routine? Don't get me wrong. He was doing it perfectly, but that was still MY routine. A part of me wanted to get up and kick him off the stage, but I didn't want to steal his thunder.

That doesn't mean he wouldn't have hesitated to involve me in said thunder. Victor wrapped his bright red feather boa around me, practically giving me a lap dance. A little weird he was making advances on me, considering we were getting divorced in the morning, and not Chris, but I'll take it. He made me feel like the only girl in that room and I wasn't complaining.

As the song came to a close, the room blew up. I guess people were into it and that's all that matters in the end. Victor jumped down from the stage and gave me a quick kiss, "Well?"

"You didn't have to do that," I hugged him tight, "I lost our bet."

"That was for the off chance that you and Yurio threw it," Victor confessed, "So, how did I do?"

"You're an absolute queen, Victor Nikiforov," I praised, "And let no one tell you different."

"Vitya," Chris had a little glint in his eye, "After we leave here, do you have any plans for the rest of your evening?"

"I thought about going back to our room and going to sleep," Victor left me and went over to Chris, "Why? Did you have something else in mind?"

"I was thinking we get a drink and play a little game," Chris suggested, "Perhaps some Twister."

"The night before our wedding?" Victor gave an overexaggerated gasp, "Christophe, you naughty boy."

"Who said we were getting married tomorrow?" Chris asked, "You're getting divorced tomorrow. What better way of celebrating than screwing around on your wife one last time?"

"Standing right here," I reminded them, "But go ahead. I'm beat. Make sure you stretch first."

"One pulled hamstring is enough for a lifetime," Victor chuckled, "We learned from that."

"I love you both," I gave my boys kisses, "And I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Violet," Chris reciprocated.

I headed back to our hotel by myself and was so ready to crawl into bed. It's been a very long day and Mama needed her sleep. When I walked into the room, Celestino had crashed on the couch and I didn't have the heart to wake him. Both my boys were sleeping like rocks and my coach wasn't much different. It was time for me to join them. Besides, I had to be up with Yurio early tomorrow morning. We had a routine to do.

 **A/N: So, Victor still did Lady Marmalade. What a queen. I love him. And the boys seem to be relatively cool with everything. Good for them. I'm so proud. Now, we have special program next week and I can't wait to show you that. See you next chapter. xx**


	32. Stole the Show

"Yuri..." I kept my voice down, "Yuri, wake up."

My boys were still fast asleep on what used to be the bed Victor and I slept on. But since Victor stayed with Chris last night and I crashed in Yuri and Yurio's bed, they've staked their claims on it. I didn't want to wake Yuri or Celestino. They probably had a long night and could use the sleep. Yurio, on the other hand? He and I had a date with an ice rink.

"Yuri," I poked at his little exposed belly, "You have to get up, baby."

"Mama..." Yurio groaned, "I want to go back to sleep."

"Me, too, kid," I held back a yawn, "But we're going to the rink instead."

"Why can't we just skate Primadonna?" he crawled into my lap, "That way, we can both go back to sleep."

"Because we're doing something new," I put my foot down, "Are you finally going to give in to the idea of coffee?"

"I'll stick with my apple juice," Yurio shot me down, waking up a little more. I'm sure if I told this kid he could go back to sleep, though, he'd be out by the next breath.

"Fine by me," I allowed, putting him on the floor, "Go get ready, Yuri."

"Ok," Yurio went into the bathroom and I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Yikes, Violet...You could stand some getting ready yourself. Like the professional kind. Maybe later. For now, a whole lot of concealer on the dark circles will do and a quick change into the warm ups.

A lot had to get done today. Yurio was going to need a new costume. I was going to need a costume. Our routine had to be choreographed and practiced. And to top it all off, I was getting divorced today! Coffee. Mama was going to need her coffee. And lots of it. By the end of the day, I'll drink double my weight in cold brew. I knew that already.

"Mama," Yurio came out in his warm ups, "I'm ready."

"Alright," I got my cup of extra dark roast and Yurio's of apple juice and got a piece of stationery off the pad in the kitchen. I'm sure if the coach wakes up and I'm not here, he'll only worry. I've put him through enough. I don't need him any worse.

 _Celestino..._

 _Took Yurio for practice and breakfast. We'll be back in a little while._

 _All my love,_

 _Vi_

Yuri and I left Yuri and Celestino to sleep and headed to the vacant ice rink. Looks like Celestino got it for us for the morning. There was a 'closed for private party' sign on the gate. I'm guessing we're the private. Good man, Celestino. Good man. Nothing quite as centering as an empty rink early in the morning (or late at night, for that matter). Just me and the ice. And Yurio, too. A beautiful sense of serenity...

"Ok, Yuri," I tied his skates for him, "Did you do the bit of homework I gave you last night before I went out with Uncle Chris and Victor?"

"The song?" he assumed, "Yeah. I listened to it a few times."

"Do you understand why I would pick this for us?" I put my own skates on.

"No," Yurio shook his head, "I wanted to ask you about that."

"Think about it," I explained, "What kind of emotion could we possibly convey from that song?"

"It's kind of depressing," he thought, "By the sounds of things, it's about two people who were once performing together, but something nasty happened and it led to them never wanting to see each other again."

"You're thinking about it too negatively," I gave him a little swat on the nose, "Ever think it might be about them splitting on good terms? Like, instead of them hating each other, they've stolen the show. Things between them personally don't have to be bad, but they still went out there and did their best only to bring down the house. Think about it, Yurio. It's us in a nutshell. I can't think of a better way to not only announce my comeback in a more concrete way, but to announce our change in dynamic. One door's closing while another opens. We know that it's our time to go as your coach and my skater, but at least we stole the show, didn't we?"

"Yes, we will," Yurio got all fired up again, "And we're going to do better than Victor and Yuri, right?"

"I don't know what Victor has planned for Yuri's special program," I took my blade guards off, "But we have our own to work on. You ready?"

"Ready!" he squeaked, bolting to the ice...And toppling over.

"Come on, Yuri," I giggled, "I thought we were over this by now. You've won two gold medals! You shouldn't be falling like this anymore."

"I got a little ahead of myself!" Yuri growled, "Is there a rule against being excited?"

"Nope," I helped him back to his feet, "Thanks, baby. I needed that."

"Why do you laugh when I fall?" his eyes started welling up with angry tears. Uh-oh...

"Same reason why you laugh when Yuri falls," I put it into perspective.

"When Yuri falls, it's hilarious," Yurio explained himself, "But when I do it, it hurts."

"You see what I'm trying to say here?" I hoped.

"That I shouldn't laugh when Yuri falls because I know how much it sucks?" he figured, "And he feels the same when I laugh as when you laugh?"

"Bingo," I spun him around, "You want to run a warm up first?"

"A quick one."

I threw on some music and we got started. For our warm up, just because Mama could be a tad cheeky, I turned on Primadonna. I knew Yurio would be able to nail it and it brought me back to a warm, happy time when he was just starting his journey into professional figure skating. However, I had an alternative motive for us skating 'Stole the Show'...

Yurio was right. The song was about two performers that used to perform together, but they were ending things officially. Stealing the show was a more bittersweet jab at the other. Feelings of being used and betrayed emanated throughout the lyrics and the music. The lights were going down, but not on Yurio and me. I needed to vent and what better way than through a language we both understood?

My feeling of tranquility was quickly replaced by a bitter melancholy consuming every bit of my soul. Come on, Violet. Cheer up. This was your idea. You were ok with this. You'll get back into the skating game and that can be your soulmate. The cheers of the crowd will keep you warm at night. Their love will be your guiding light. Do this for the fans and you'll be alright.

"Mama?" Yurio stopped me as 'Stole the Show' went out for the sixth or seventh time, "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," I lied through my teeth, "Come on. Let's do it again from the top."

"I think we got it, though," he figured, "And my legs are tired. And I'm kind of hungry."

"Fine," I grabbed my phone, "Let's go score some breakfast, yeah?"

"Yes, please." I loved that I didn't have to ask Yurio twice about food anymore. When we'd actually sit down to eat, he'd still be a little skeptical, but once he started eating, he'd tear through it like it was nothing until nothing was all that's left. We left the rink and started walking through the park.

I still had a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that I was coming home. In a few short weeks, I'd have a penthouse in New York. Definitely an upgrade from the studio apartment I had the last time I lived here. When we talked over the little details of our divorce, Victor promised me a penthouse and I wasn't going to say no. He always said I deserved the finer things. Especially given what I came from. I wasn't going to have to go through the degrading process of begging the boss for my job back. I'd be fine.

"Violet?" a familiar voice made us stop in our tracks. Only it wasn't just one standing there when I turned around. A man and a woman stared at me in stunned disbelief.

"Hi..." I didn't have much to say to them until they said what needed to be said to me. My grip on Yurio's hand tightened a little as he hid behind me.

"We heard you were back in town," she said, "Congratulations on your silver medal."

"Thanks," I could hardly look either one in the eye, "We went through hell, but we got there. And I couldn't be prouder."

"Does this mean you're staying...?"

"For now," I nodded, "Until next season anyway and I have to go around the world again."

He looked over my shoulder at the shaking little angel behind me, "Who's this?"

"His name is Yurio," I tried to get my poor baby to settle down. Maybe it's like Celestino said. Yurio's picking up my apprehension. In my defense, I haven't seen much of my parents since Victor and I got married. And we didn't exactly leave each other on the best of terms, "He's your grandson."

"Really?" Dad got down to him, only to freak Yurio out even more, "Hi, Yurio..."

Yurio gave him a very skeptical look, "Kto oni (who are they)?"

"Moi raditeli (My parents)," I settled him, "Vse v poryadke, Yuratchka. (It's alright, Yuratchka.)"

"Violet," Mom wondered, "Is that Russian?"

"Yeah."

"Since when do you speak Russian?" Dad asked.

"Since my husband is Russian," I reminded them, "And my son is Russian. Yurio usually doesn't speak Russian unless he's either trying to get away with something or he's nervous. Or he's talking in his sleep."

"It's alright, Yurio," Mom tried to talk some sense into him, but it only made Yurio bare his teeth even more, "We're family. You don't have to be scared around us."

Yurio still had his skepticism, "Ya ne znayu, nravitsya li mne eto, Mama. (I still don't know if I like them, Mama.)"

"What's he saying?"

"He's very choosy about who he lets into his life," I told them, "And honestly, I can't blame him."

"Violet," Dad suggested, "Can we talk? Just for a little while?"

What the hell…? He was serious. They both were. Something about this didn't smell right. I could understand Yurio's hesitation about them. But they were still my parents. I guess I had to love them. They gave my baby his mama, so I couldn't complain about that. God only knows how Yurio would've turned out if he didn't have me.

"Yeah," I allowed, "Yurio and I were just about to get some breakfast. He has his special program coming up today and we have a lot to do yet, so we can't stick around too long."

"Alright."

The four of us ended up at this cozy café I used to go to all the time while I was still living here and ended up in a corner booth upstairs. This place was teeming with its usual mix of hipsters and moody teenagers and the occasional business professional. Good to see that nothing's changed. What I remembered most about this place was their scones. The size of my head. Yurio and I split a cherry one with slivered almonds on it.

"So," I asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"You know, sweetheart," Dad tried to take my hand, but I wasn't really having it, "I know we weren't exactly supportive of your skating career."

"Bit of an understatement," I sipped on my latte, "I think you called it a phase and a bunch of hooey and I was only doing it to get a boy's attention."

"Violet, please," Mom begged, "Yurio, cover your…Does he speak English?"

"Yes," I assured, "He speaks English."

"Cover your ears for me, sweetie," she demanded.

"Nyet," Yurio shook his head.

"Yuri," I insisted, "Do it."

"Fine," he grumbled, covering his ears.

"We want to apologize for being assholes," Dad sucked it up, "And we're really proud of you. You've come a long way from dancing at the burlesque clubs. And congratulations on your comeback."

"Thanks, Dad…" my voice broke. This was hitting me harder than I thought. For years, I thought about what I would say to them if I had the chance. It ranged from telling them to suck my ass to not even giving them the time of day. But in that brief moment, they were human. More than human even. They were actually my parents for a change giving me the support I needed, "Really. That means a lot."

"There wouldn't happen to be tickets still available for Yurio's program today, would there be?" Mom asked.

"I'm sure I could get some," I figured, taking Yurio's hands off his ears, "Why?"

"It's probably different," Dad thought, "Between seeing it on TV and seeing him in person."

They've been watching…? My parents might not have been very supportive verbally, but from a distance. It would've been nice if they would've been there a little more, but I had others for that. Baby steps, "It is. Entirely different monster."

"Hey!" Yurio squeaked, "I'm not the monster."

"That's right, baby," I wrapped an arm around him, "You're my monster, though."

"I thought I heard you up here, bambina," a thick, Italian accent hung in the air, "Violet!"

"What are you doing here?" I hugged my coach, thanking every deity in the book he showed up. This was really getting to be uncomfortable, "I thought I left you with Yuri."

"Chris and Victor have Yuri," Celestino settled me, "Don't worry. Although, I did see more of Christophe Giacometti than I thought I ever would this morning."

"You haven't lived until you've seen Chris completely naked," I joked, "Care to join us?"

"We should be going anyway," Dad got up, helping Mom shortly after, "You have our numbers, Violet. You could stand to use them once in a while."

"Ok," I sent them off and Celestino took their place. That was probably the most surreal thing to happen in New York since we got here. And I've seen Victor in one of my old burlesque costumes. My parents actually apologized…and they're proud of me…

"So, Violet," Celestino asked, "Who were they? Fans of yours?"

I swallowed the lump swelling in the back of my throat, "They are now…"

 **A/N: So, Violet's patched things up with her parents. Sort of. Probably with the holding power of duct tape, but progress is progress. Next week we're going to have Yurio's special program and Yuri's, too, if I have the time. If you're wanting a little look into Yurio's, I suggest going to YouTube and searching for Parson James' 'Stole the Show'. Really and truly, it's fantastic. I love that song so much and when I listened to it a few weeks ago, all I could think about was Violet and Victor. Listen to it and you'll understand what I'm talking about. See you next chapter! xx**


	33. Times are Changing

**A/N: Hi, guys! First of all, I'm sorry. Last week's chapter was kind of shit, wasn't it? A little bit of filler. But I promise this week will be better. We're all entitled to an off day, right?**

After a few hours of costume shopping, Yurio came out of it with a navy and gold color palette while I got bright white and a rich purple. We looked so damn cute together. And we're going to crush his special program. However, Yurio was still having trouble with one of the triples in our set and he was having a hard time landing it cleanly. Luckily, Celestino was the best coach I ever had and the only one, so he took Yurio back to the rink.

While my coach was helping my son with his form, I sought out the professional help I was so desperate for. Since that one look in the mirror this morning, I couldn't shake it out of my mind. Any angle, any lighting, I looked rough. Granted, in my defense, sleep hasn't come very easy for me and I've been taking a back seat to Yurio. Not to mention all the added stress of the competition. A professional needed to put me out of my misery.

And now that I was about to be newly single, I should take better care of myself. Not just for the potential of someone to hold at night, but for me, too. If I look better, I'll feel better, right? This calls for drastic measures. When I was still living in New York, there was one person that made me feel better no matter what kind of mood I was in. I needed a trip to see my colorist.

Violet...A brilliant shade of purple. The symbol of royalty. The mixture of the cool, calm wisdom of blue and the fiery power and passion and intensity of red. Purple means power, ambition. If there's anything I hope to tell the world with this performance aside from my slight split from Yurio (and Victor, too...But we'll keep that to ourselves for now), it's that I'm back and bigger and better than ever. To underestimate me in the upcoming season would be their downfall. Everyone loves a dark horse, don't they?

Once my color was rinsed out, I felt that same surge of power and badassery that coursed through my veins like a rushing river in a thunderstorm. I haven't felt this kind of adrenaline rush in so long. It's about time you come back, Violet. You're finally back to being you. Not just the selfish, greedy bitch that took Victor away from the world. Not just Yuri Plisetsky's coach. Not the washed-up has-been Yakov thought you were. Not the stray skater people say Celestino took in out of pity. Welcome back, baby.

I got a text from Celestino saying Victor and Chris were already at the rink with Yuri getting some last-minute practice in, so our room was empty with the exception of Yurio and Celestino. Awesome. Because I wanted to get ready in peace and I'm sure those two would be raising all kind of a commotion. In their defense, though, it's not every day I impulsively dye my hair purple right before a performance. That took a big pair of balls.

"Knock, knock," I pushed the door open, "Coach? Yuri? I'm back."

"Hi, Mama," Yurio didn't look up from his game. Surprise, surprise. We have a performance in a couple hours and he's not even close to being ready. My god, Celestino...I thought you would've been more on the ball with him.

"Hey, baby," I kissed his cheek, "Where's Celestino?"

"Tied up in the bathtub," he said so casually, "Used a bowline knot, so you might want to bring scissors. By the way, we're out of pretzels and Apple Jacks."

"You didn't..."

"I'm joking," Yurio clarified, "He went to get ice. He said he'd be right back."

"How long has he been gone?" I let out a heavy sigh of relief, looking in the bathroom, just to be safe.

"A couple minutes."

"Yuri," I shook my head, "You terrify me sometimes, kid. All it would take is one lab accident and you'd end up a supervillain."

"Anti-hero."

"No," I explained, "Anti-hero would imply you still have some sort of a sense of justice. You'd be a full on Joker, Loki, chaotic evil situation as opposed to a Deadpool, Batman, Punisher kind of thing."

"But a quiet chaotic evil." Finally, he sees it my way, "People would see my power, but have no idea it was me. My innocence would be the real illusion."

"I love you, Yuri," I pulled him into my lap, hugging him tight, "Never change."

"Mama," Yurio looked up from his game and up at me, "Since when is your hair purple?"

"What did you think I was doing while you were with Celestino?" I giggled, "I wasn't taking a walk in the park."

"Honestly," he saved his game, "I thought you went to meet up with Victor and Uncle Chris, but that's just me."

"Nope," I sat Yurio in front of me and started the intricate Dutch braiding on his hair, "They're busy with Yuri anyway. Speaking of, how's your triple toe loop coming?"

"I got it," Yurio beamed, "You should see it, Mama."

"I will see it," I reminded him, "Remember, you're not going to be alone on that ice today."

"We've never skated together before," he thought out loud.

"Not on this kind of scale," I could feel it. The mere idea of Yurio and I skating together in public in front of a crowd this big terrified him. He put way too much pressure on himself and Yurio didn't deserve that. As his coach, his partner, and his mama, I had to do something about it, "Don't worry, dovahkiin. Just think of it like we would at practice. The crowd's not even there. If you put all your attention on your partner, you'll do just fine."

"You think so?" Yurio hadn't come down even the slightest. This is bad. This is very bad. Something shook his confidence and I needed to shake it back.

"I know so," I kissed the top of his head, "What's got you so nervous, baby?"

"It's more than just my special program," he vented, "It'll be the first time you've been back on the ice professionally since you retired. And you're so good, Mama. I don't want them to think you're not because I screwed something up."

Me? I've been working with Yurio and I was the one that had him scared? Was I really that intimidating? We've skated together a million times over. I should be the least scary thing on that ice to him. I knew Yurio wanted people to love me again, but he wanted to prove himself, too. He didn't want to get lost in the shuffle.

I threw my arms around this perfect little boy in my lap, squeezing him tight, "Yuri, you don't need to worry at all about me. It's great that you're wanting to skate with me and I couldn't be happier about that, but you're not going to screw up. And if you do, so what? This is just one performance. You don't have to worry about making me look bad. We're going to go out there today, make them fall in love with both of us, and our usual kicking ass and taking names, got it?"

"Ok..." Yurio started to perk up a bit.

"That's my boy," I praised, tying the last braid off, "You ready to get to the rink and do a little last-minute warm up?"

"I think so," he nodded, "But don't you have to get ready, too?"

"I got that handled," I assured, "I wonder where the hell Celestino ran off to. Did he get ice three blocks over or...?"

"Yurio!" Speak of the devil, "I'm back! No one tried to come in, did they?"

"What took you so long?" Yurio whined.

"You try being a good-looking foreigner in America," Celestino put the ice bucket on the counter.

"I am a good-looking foreigner in America," Yurio scoffed.

"You're just a babe, Yurio..."

"But you're my babe," I snuggled him, "And you were also left alone by Mama's coach..."

"I tried to be in and out, Violet," Celestino promised, "I really did."

"What was her name, Coach?"

"Ruby..."

"Classy," I rolled my eyes. I should know better than to leave my hound of a coach left unattended, "Real classy. Yuri, you turn out like Celestino and I'll club you."

"Noted," Yurio promised.

"Dio mio, Violet," Celestino clutched his chest, "What the hell did you do?"

"You mean the purple?" I shook my hair out, "It's cute, right? I'm feeling it. I did an impulse. It matches the sash on my dress. I couldn't say no."

"Yurio?" Celestino looked to my son, "What are your thoughts? You'll be the one sharing the ice with her."

"I like it," he approved, "It suits her."

"Did you get your nipples pierced, too?" Celestino's tirade continued. He never liked when I'd dye my hair bright colors. He thought it was a sign of me going through a rebellious phase, so if I ever did it, I had to do it in secret. The hotel cleaning staff hated me.

"No, Coach," I assured, "I couldn't go through with something like that.

"Tattoo, then?"

"No," I settled him, "I don't have any piercings I didn't have before and my skin is a blank slate."

"Good," Celestino threw himself into a chair, "Hurry up and get ready. You're going to need a little practice."

"I practiced this morning," I pointed out, "I practiced with Yurio before we went for breakfast AND I choreographed his routine in the same breath. I think we're good."

"She's great, Celestino," Yurio talked me up, "I saw her this morning. Mama hasn't lost her touch."

"You doubt me?" I giggled, "That's your first problem."

"Alright, Violet," Celestino hushed me, "Your ego's showing. Go get ready!"

"Yes, sir," I grabbed my makeup bag out of my suitcase and got to work. Thank God, Celestino didn't know I was performing or he would've called the team that put me together for competitions. I didn't want to be contoured to all hell. I barely wanted makeup on to begin with, but performances called for it.

Alright, Violet. You've watched thirty different YouTube videos on this kind of thing. What are you going to do? I needed something soft. That was the overall theme of our program. Soft, delicate. If a Tumblr aesthetic blog puked all over our performance. I guess that means my eyeliner needs to be sharp enough to kill a man, right? Maybe I could pull off a soft cut crease. No. That was a bit much. Just a shimmering nude shadow and a thick, black eyeliner.

It's times like these that brought me back to my days of dancing burlesque. Madame would do my makeup for me. I was a bit estranged from my own mother in those days, so she helped fill the void a little bit. Every night, I sat in front of her, much like Yurio did with me. I'd vent my problems while she got me ready. It was a weird bonding experience, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

As soon as I was all cute again, Yurio, Celestino, and I headed for the arena. We were both ready for this. And we were going first! The alleged cursed first spot didn't shake Yurio anymore. He broke that curse and won gold. Victor, Chris, and Yuri were already standing rink side. The time had come for Yurio and I to dethrone the current king.

"Hi, honey," I smirked, "I'm home."

"Violet!" Victor squeaked. Then, he got a look at me, "Moy bog…"

"Mon dieu…" Chris agreed, "Violet, you're adorable."

"Thank you," I blushed a bit, "My first time professional in a while. Thought, why not?"

"It works for you," Victor praised.

"Celestino's kind of pissed," I grinned, keeping my voice down, "I was waiting for him to ask if I joined a cult."

"Did you…?"

"No," I rolled my eyes, "Ready, Yurio?"

"Ready!" Yurio was about to run onto the ice, but I grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

"Not quite yet, sweetheart," I eased him, "We need to wait until we're called. You know that."

"Right," he took a spot on the bench.

"Now," I sat with him, "This is going to be the last pep talk I give you this season. You can't have the mindset of the dovahkiin anymore."

"What?" I might as well have told him I shot Nadya, "What do you mean?"

"Think of it this way," I explained, "Who do you love more than anyone in the whole world?"

"You."

"We're going to be splitting at the end of this season," I went on, "We'll be going our separate ways. But you still love me, right?"

"Of course!"

"Show them that," I poked him, "And we'll be golden."

"Ok…" Yurio hugged me tight, "I love you, Mama."

"I love you, too, baby," I kissed the top of his head.

"Representing Russia," the loudspeaker called, "Yuri Plisetsky!"

"Let's give them hell, kid," I stood him up.

"No," he shook his head, "Let's steal the show."

"It's already ours," I grinned, watching my little angel skate to the center of the rink.

The soft piano echoed through the arena and the butterflies hit me. This was the first time I was back on the ice in front of so many people. My face burned hot, but I didn't have time to worry about that. Perform now, worry later. Shortly after the lyrics started, I joined Yurio on the ice for the bridge. In that moment, I thought there was going to be a riot in the arena. In that moment, things got very surreal.

None of that mattered, though. Because I had my favorite skater with me. I couldn't wait to see what next season held for him. The fact that we got here amazed me. When he first stepped on the ice, he hurt himself in the first five seconds. He's come so far so fast. And I couldn't be prouder. But I knew…It's our time to go…But at least we stole the show.

As the music began to slow, I took Yurio into my arms for a slow sitting spin. And just like that, Yurio's season was over and my comeback was only beginning. There was going to be a massive load of press coming my way once we leave here, but I didn't care. Let them come at me. Let them tear me to shreds. Whether they like it or not, I'm coming back bigger and better than ever.

I hugged my little angel tight in my arms, kissing his cheek and kicking the crowd up even more, "I'm proud of you, Yuri. Don't you ever forget that…"

 **A/N: Remember when I said I was ending this at the end of bomb week last month? HA. I hope this made up for last week's chapter. But next week, we're going to have Yuri's special program AND the post season banquet. And we all know how those post season banquets go. See you next chapter! xx**


	34. Coming to Terms

Even though he wasn't being scored, Yurio did a great job today. Improv was definitely one of his strong suits. And he was a quick learner, too! Only took him a couple hours to learn the choreography for Stole the Show and another hour to master it. Mama couldn't be prouder of him. If they were keeping score, Yurio would've just passed Yuri and left him in the dust. However, Yuri had yet to go on.

"Are you ready, Yuri?" Victor asked, tying his skates for him.

"Yeah," Yuri seemed a little more confident. I guess his win is going to do that for him.

"Good luck, baby," I kissed his cheek, "You arleady won, so you don't need to try too hard. Just focus on a good performance."

"Thanks, Mama," he wrapped himself around my leg as they called his name.

"Go on, Yuri," Chris sent him off, "Make us proud."

"By the way, Victor," I wondered, "What did you pick for Yuri's music? Did you stay in theme or did you go off script like we did?"

"Off script," Victor had a dark grin on his face, "You'll see."

A soft orchestra started to play through the loudspeakers. One that I knew too well. One that Yurio and I have skated to in practice a few times...Even worse, Victor and I have skated this once or twice, too. When the lyrics started, I thought I was going to throw up. And as soon as it ended, I made a beeline for the front door, hoping to God the press would let me cry this out.

How could he? Sure, Yurio and I skating Stole the Show as a passive aggressive message about our marriage coming to an end on amicible terms, but this? This was blatant. Like a big middle finger on a neon sign. Originally, I wanted to do this, but I didn't want to give Victor a strong right hook like he deserved right now. At least I had the courtesy to not use our song!

"Violet...?" Victor sat beside me on the retaining wall outside the arena, "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

"You're an asshole, Victor Nikiforov," I snarled, my eyes blurred with tears, "Leave me alone!"

"Violet," he tried to put hs hand on my shoulder, but I swatted him away, "Violet, can I talk to you?"

"Go to Hell!" I moved away from him, "What you did...You know what you did."

"Could I tell you why?"

"You blindsided me, you son of a bitch!" my tirade went on, "It doesn't matter why you did it. That was low and you know it."

"Violet," Victor pulled me into his chest, "Let me explain."

"No!" I tried to wiggle out of his arms, but it wasn't happening. Victor had more upper arm strength than I gave him credit for, "Let me go!"

"Only if you let me explain myself," he bargained.

"Fine," I caved, "You got five minutes."

"You can't tell me that what you did was squeaky clean, too," Victor pointed out, only making me feel worse, "You think I wasn't going to catch on to that? Two lovers that performed together splitting up? You didn't think I'd figure that out?"

"I know," I started to settle down a little bit.

"I got your message," he cradled me, "And it looks like you haven't gotten mine yet. Do you still not realize why I picked I Don't Want to Miss a Thing for Yuri?"

"No," my blood began to boil again, "Why else other than to hurt me?"

"That wasn't my intention," Victor apologized, "I love how you're handling our divorce, Vi, but I hate it all the same. I know you're doing this so selflessly, but suppressing it isn't good for you either."

"I'm not suppressing anything," I lied through my teeth.

"Yes, you are," he rocked me a little, "I know better. We've been married for quite a while. I know every one of your tells, dorogoy. And you haven't stopped shaking since I came out here."

"Because I'm pissed," I snapped, "And it's cold out here."

"Nothing's really changing," Victor promised, "I still love you very much. That will never ever change. You've raised our boys with me since day one. You sacrificed your final season, so I could have one. You're such a giver, Violet. You deserve happiness, too. So, I pose this question to you. Are you sure you're ok going through with our divorce, so I can marry Chris?"

"Absolutely," I confirmed, "Why, you might ask?"

"Why, Violet?"

"Because you're too focused on what I gave up for you," I explained, "You're thinking too much about what I've given up, what I've done. Me, me, me. But you don't see what happened before that. Do you remember the day we met?"

"Like it was yesterday," Victor smiled, "What about it?"

"I told you to leave your hotel key out of reflex," I reminded him, "How many of those do you think I got in a night?"

"I don't know," his smile started to fade, "How many?"

"I'd average around ten a night," I cringed, "The boss had a side hustle for after the show. A few of the girls, including myself, would end up escorting and Ernie might pay us extra. And the usual clientile would ask for things! Unspeakable things! Gross things...But then, you came in. You saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. I didn't see myself going any further than that. You got me out of that, Victor. If you and Chris wouldn't have come in to see the show that night, God only knows where I would've ended up. So, my happiness is a very small price to pay for what you've done for me."

I left Victor entirely speechless...and a little heartbroken, "I had no idea..."

"Yeah," I sighed out, "All that aside, though. Really and truly, why did you pick our song for Yuri?"

"I wanted it to serve as a reminder of happier times for us," he held me a little closer, "Because we're not saying goodbye. This is an entirely new beginning for us, Vi, and I know it's horrifying, but we'll get through it. And neither one of us is going to miss out on the other. I promise."

"You know," I laid my head on Victor's chest, "Yuri did a hell of a job with it, too."

"Not as good as Yurio," Victor kissed my forehead, "I've seen him skate I Don't Want to Miss a Thing and Yurio skates it better than I did."

"You should tell him that," I smiled, "He'd love to hear it."

"Tell you what," he said, "Tomorrow morning, you and I will go down to the courthouse and file for a no-fault divorce. Tonight, we'll go to the post-season banquet, have a good time, and then, go home. Sound good to you?"

"Da," I nodded, "I can do that."

"So, everything's fine?" Victor worried, "No more putting on a brave face for me?"

"Yeah," I cuddled into him, "I still love you, Victor. You're still my best friend in the whole wide world."

"And you're mine," he pulled me onto my feet and hugged me tight, "Maybe we should go get matching tattoos."

"I'm not pissing Celestino off any more than I already have," I giggled, "I'm amazed he still puts up with me."

"You know Celestino's a slave to you," Victor and I started heading back into the arena, "He can't be mad at you for long."

"Yeah," I agreed, "Changing my hair is one thing. Getting a tattoo that would be permanently embedded into my skin is a whole different ball game. He'd probably scrape it off with a spoon."

"And pour salt on it," he added, "And rinse it off with holy water. After exorcising you, of course."

Victor understood how Celestino was about me. He treated me like his own. That was one of the main reasons why he got so pissed after Victor and I got married. Victor didn't go to Celestino and ask for my hand. Hell, he didn't even go to my own father and ask. Nobody knew until they needed to. It wasn't affecting anyone else except us. Why should they know?

Before we knew it, the time had come for the post-season banquet. If I remember correctly, this was where things got interesting. We didn't have any more competitions, so all bets were off. At my last banquet, things got pretty crazy. Chris got naked, Victor tried seeing how many mini lampshades he could get on his head without them falling off. It was a grand old time.

But things were different now. We've done a lot of growing up since then. Chris knew to leave his stripper pole at home. We have babies to look after and think about. And now, I have my career to think about again. Fighting off the press wasn't exactly pretty, but Celestino took care of them for me, speaking on my behalf. When we got to the venue, it was dimly lit like a high school prom, but still a classy affair.

Yuri and Yurio were running around with their new found friends and I wasn't hesitating with the champagne. Don't get stupid, Violet. Think of the babies. I know you want to drink everything off right now, but don't get wasted. A couple of glasses of champagne to celebrate and cut yourself off. As much as you want to switch to the vodka. That was going to be even harder to do, considering the douchebag that just walked in.

"Hey, Victor's wife," JJ came up next to me.

"I have a name," I slammed my first glass. He doesn't know, Violet. As easy of a target JJ is, don't take your feelings out on him. Get another glass.

"Sorry, Violet," he gave me a nudge, "I saw your performance with the kid earlier and heard you're skating next season. Welcome back. You haven't lost a step."

"Uh..." I wasn't sure how to feel here, "Thanks, JJ."

"What about Victor?" JJ asked, a dirty, competitive smirk on his face, "I'd love to be able to beat him at his own game."

"I don't think he's coming back yet," I assumed, "You'd have to ask him."

"Where is he?" he took a champagne flute, "Last time I saw him, Victor was screwing around with that Christophe guy and a couple of kids and I haven't seen him since."

"They're keeping an eye on our boys," I figured, "Excuse me."

Before I stabbed JJ in the throat with a shrimp fork, I went over to Chris and Victor, sitting at our table, perfectly content with the world. And I couldn't blame them. However, the boys weren't there. Hopefully they went off to be social and didn't get too far. Regardless, I sat down with Chris and Victor, doing my best to keep a level head.

"Hi there, gorgeous," Chris greeted me, "What are you doing all by yourself?"

"Getting used to it," I joked darkly, "Where are Yuri and Yurio?"

"They were right over there," Victor pointed to a spot by the stage, "Perhaps they went to play somewhere else."

"Mama," one of them surfaced, "I lost Yuri."

"Ok," I wasn't going to panic. I already had a little bit of the buzz from the champagne, so I had that going for me, "Where did you see him last?"

"I told him to get some apple juice for me and Beka," Yurio explained himself, "And I haven't seen him since."

"How long ago?"

"Ten minutes ago."

"Come on," I got up, "Let's go find your brother."

"Ok," Yurio took my hand and the two of us scoured the ballroom for Yuri. If this were Yurio, I wouldn't be quite as worried, but I've seen Yuri get lost in our house and freak. If he can't find us, he's going to have a damn meltdown.

Instead of in the fetal position under a table, Yuri was stumbling around the dance floor. It's funny. Because the last time I was at one of these things, Victor was the one stumbling around exactly like that. But there's no way they're stumbling for the same reason. That would mean my nine-year-old son was drunk and no one would dare give Yuri any alcohol. No one was that stupid.

"There you are, Yuri," I called out to him. Only for him to fall on his ass.

"I'm really dizzy," he slurred a bit, "You're really pretty, Mama…"

"Yuri…?" I helped him up, "Are you ok, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine," Yuri stumbled a few steps, "By the way, Yurio, the apple juice in the fancy glasses doesn't taste very good."

Oh crap…Not good.

"Come on, baby," I sat him on my hip, "We should be going."

"But Mama…" Yuri whined, "I want to stay!"

"How much of the bad apple juice did you have?" I worried.

"Just one drink," he promised, "After that, I didn't like it anymore."

"Alright." Dammit…I went back to Victor and Chris, "We need to go."

"What's going on?" Victor got nervous.

"Yuri had some bad apple juice," I explained as Yuri hiccupped over my shoulder, "And now he can't walk straight. We need to go home."

"Alright," he nodded, taking Yuri from me, "A lightweight, just like his mama."

"Shut up," I rolled my eyes.

"Hold on," Chris took me aside, "Is Yuri drunk?"

"They need to keep the sparkling cider away from the actual champagne," I grumbled, "But yeah. He's gone."

"Will he be ok?"

"Yeah," the night air hit us and the redness in Yuri's cheeks started to go down, "I'm sure that once we get some food in him and put him to bed, he'll be right as rain in the morning."

"Daddy," Yuri groaned, "Will you do me a favor?"

"What's that, Yuri?" Victor was trying his damnedest to not giggle at our current situation, but I couldn't blame him. Yes, this was serious, but Yuri's going to be fine.

"Will you be my coach next season?" he asked, his hiccups getting worse.

"I don't know, Yuri…"

"Be my coach, Daddy…" Yuri begged, "Be my coach!"

"We'll talk about it in the morning, Yuri." Yep. This kid was gone.

As soon as we got back to the hotel, Victor and Chris put our little champion to bed while I did the same with Yurio. I gave him a kiss goodnight and threw myself on my own bed. This has been a hell of a day and I deserved three days of uninterrupted sleep. I just hoped that Yuri would be ok in the morning. Before Victor and I sign our marriage away…

 **A/N: What's a post season banquet without Yuri being drunk? Although, this was accidental. All this poor baby wanted was some apple juice. BUT we're also going to talk about the first part of this chapter. I want to take Victor and Violet and hug them until their eyes pop out. However, next week's chapter is going to be the last one. I know I said that in July, but this is the real deal this time. So, until then, friends. See you next chapter! xx**


	35. Epitaph

**A/N: Hi, guys. Do you know what today is? The sixth of September, Lumi. Shut up, Lumi. I know that. Well, you don't need to get so defensive. You know what? No. Stop it. Ok…? Ok… Alright then. Now, as I was saying…Today is a special day? Is it our birthday, Lumi? No! That's not until the end of November! Now, quit interrupting me! I need to stop 50% Off-ing…Anyway, today is the last day. The last update this is going to get. The thrilling conclusion. Stick around to the end because I have a few things to tell you about post this story and other places you can stalk me at and things of the like. But for now, I'm going to give you the reason you came here in the first place. And it's not to hear me ramble. Enjoy!**

I had to get used to waking up alone. Victor was going to move in with Chris and he wouldn't be in bed with me anymore. At least I'd have Nadya, though. Was that what I was becoming? Was I going to be the crazy cat lady once the divorce was final? No. I'll be going around the world again next season. I won't be a crazy cat lady. I'm a gold medal figure skater with pretty eyes and flawless skin. I'm sure I'll be able to find someone to keep me warm for the night.

"Mama..." a meek little voice groaned at the end of my bed, "I don't feel good."

But a mother's work is never done, "Come here, Yuri."

"How did I get sick?" Yuri climbed up on my bed and curled into my side, "Where would I have caught something?"

"The apple juice you had last night," I put my arm around him, "That wasn't apple juice, honey. It was champagne. The event organizer had the sparkling cider and the champagne too close to each other and you got them mixed up. Don't worry, though. This is only temporary. It'll pass."

"I don't like it," he whined.

"Nobody does," I kissed my poor baby's forehead, "You'll be ok."

"Mama," Yuri looked up at me, "We don't have to go anywhere today, do we?"

"Not we," I assured, "But Daddy and I do."

"Where are you going?"

"To take care of some legal stuff," I hugged him, "Do you know if Daddy's up yet?"

"I think he's on the balcony with Uncle Chris," Yuri rubbed his eyes.

"Here," I got out of bed and pulled the blanket over him, "You can sleep in Mama's bed for a little while longer. I need to go talk with Daddy for a bit."

"Ok, Mama," he nestled down into the pillows and shut his eyes.

Before I went out to the balcony, I had one last thing I needed to check on. I walked out to the main room of our suite and found a to-go cup on the counter. Still hot, too. To whoever made the coffee run this morning, bless you. Regardless of my caffeine dependency, I looked in on Yurio. Sure enough, sleeping like a baby. I gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and his little nose scrunched up. Damn, I love this kid.

I slid the glass door back and headed onto the balcony. Despite it being early December, it was kind of nice out here, "Sup, bitches?"

"Hey," Victor greeted me, "Good morning, Vi. Sleep ok?"

"Yeah," I grabbed a chair, "For the most part. Have you checked on Yuri yet?"

"Not yet," he shook his head, "Have you?"

"A little hung over, is he?" Chris figured, "And all it took was a little champagne? What a lightweight."

"He's nine, Chris," I squeaked, "He's not supposed to have a tolerance yet."

"How is he?" Victor worried like the responsible adult.

"Yuri's sleeping in my bed right now," I filled him in, "He'll be fine."

"Good," he sighed out.

"Hey, Chris," I asked, "Could you keep an eye on the boys for an hour or two?"

"Of course," Chris agreed, "is today the big day?"

"Yep," I sat in Victor's lap, "Today's the day."

"And I don't regret a single one," Victor kissed my cheek, "Shall we?"

"Yeah," I laid my head on his shoulder, "Let me go get dressed and contour the hell out of my face."

"Why all the contour?" he wondered.

"So people don't realize it's me," I pointed out, "Do you really want press to catch us coming out of the courthouse post our divorce? We're kind of high up on that pedestal, Victor. Our divorce would break some hearts."

"Good call," Victor pushed me up, "Maybe they'll leave us alone for the day."

"God, sweetie," I rolled my eyes, "It's a good thing you're pretty some days. You know how press has always been with me. They're vultures and you know it. This would be the kind of thing they'd swarm over."

"I guess you're right."

"Be careful, Violet," Chris warned me, "We wouldn't want the incident in Rome again, would we?"

"That was one time," I groaned, "And that guy had it coming. And that was eight years ago!"

"You have a nice right cross, dorogoy," Victor teased, "Such a shame that photographer had to find out the hard way."

"Thank you!" I beamed, "Now, gentlemen. If you'll excuse me."

I went back inside and dug through my suitcase for something I could wear in a courthouse. It was mostly skater dresses that made me look like a giant toddler and costumes that weren't meant to see anywhere but the ice. I guess the white one would be relatively appropriate. With the light purple cardigan. It kind of looked like one of Victor's old costumes...It's really going to be the end of an era, isn't it?

"Morning, Mama," Yurio came into the bathroom and attached himself to my leg.

"Morning, sweetheart," I wasn't going to turn him away. Never have, never will, "What's up?"

"Is Yuri still alive?"

"Yes," I giggled, "He's not feeling too hot, but he's still alive."

"Ok..."

"And there are juice boxes in the fridge," I smiled, digging through my makeup bag for some sort of concealer. I looked like I got in a bar fight.

"Bless you," Yurio shuffled out of the bathroom and made a beeline for the fridge.

I love that child's one-track mind. I just hope he can keep that kind of laser focus while Victor and I are gone. He's going to have to get used to Chris sooner or later. Hopefully, Chris can mellow out for Yurio's sake. Or Yurio's going to be hanging around my place a lot. Probably the latter over the former. Not that I'd complain.

While Yuri was still sleeping and Yurio had gotten heavily engrossed in his game, Victor and I slipped out of our hotel room and headed for the courthouse. The cab ride there was completely silent. Only his hand in mine. This was only a legal thing. This didn't change anything except my last name from Nikiforov to Plisetsky again. We would still see each other. We still loved each other. It'll be the way it's always been.

Victor always loved me. Since the day we met, he loved me and that wasn't going to change. But I knew he loved Chris, too. It was never the same love, but I was always cool with that. And now, I could let him go. I knew it'd hurt like hell, but only for a little while. Victor would tell me that I was almost flawless. Almost flawless. For a long time, I thought that meant there was always room for improvement with me. Until I realized what it really meant. I wasn't Chris.

"Violet?" Victor snapped me out of my headspace, "Are you alright?"

"Relatively," I blinked a few times, "Why?"

"I thought I lost you for a sec," he helped me out of the cab, "Can we talk details?"

"Sure," I nodded as the two of us walked up the stairs to the courthouse.

"I get the boys?" Victor walked on eggshells with me. I could see it all over his face.

"Yes."

"And the penthouse in St. Petersburg?"

"Yes."

"And this is a mutual agreement?" he asked, "No fault?"

"Yes."

Victor laced his fingers between mine, "Are you ready?"

I wanted to scream no. I really did. But I knew this was more than me paying up on a stupid bet. This was giving Victor the one thing I knew he wanted more than anything in the whole world. And I was slowly, but surely coming to terms with that, "Yeah. I'm ready."

And just like that...With a few scribbles on a piece of paper, Victor and I were no more. I was no longer his wife and he was no longer my husband. Did it punch a hole in my heart? Yes. Of course. This was the man I loved and the one that was my roommate for the past decade and my savior in so many ways. But if one loves something so much...The best thing they can do is let it go.

I needed tea. Or wine, but it was also eleven o'clock in the morning. I had morals.

As soon as Victor and I finished up at the courthouse, the two of us walked to a cafe down the block and I got the biggest, baddest cup of lavender chamomile tea they had to offer. Something to soothe my nerves and put me in a better place. Think of the positives, Violet. You're moving back to New York. You'll get your skating career back on track. You'll still be able to see the boys. You'll still be Yurio's coach. Everything's going to be fine. I think. I hope.

"Violet," Victor kicked me under the table.

"What?"

"There you go again," he teased, "Another out of body experience?"

"I wouldn't say out of body," I brushed him off, "But a little out of body, I guess."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Victor worried.

"Positive."

"Good," he hid a smile while he dug in his pockets, "Because I have a present for you."

"I swear to God, Victor," I bit my lip. I've seen that look before. He's had the exact same one in Amsterdam once. And he ended up proposing to me in the Red Light District, "If that's an engagement ring, I'm going to hit you."

"So violent," Victor teased, "Maybe this is going to end up like Rome."

"What's my present?" I sped things along, keeping my temper in check.

"It's not an engagement ring," he promised, pulling a different kind of ring from his pocket.

"What's this?" I wondered.

"I know how much house hunting makes you cranky," Victor slid the key ring across the table, "So, I thought I'd take that work out of it for you."

My heart stopped, "Victor...You didn't..."

"I might have."

"You got me an apartment?" I gasped.

"I got you a condo," he corrected me, "It's in the same building as Chris and me. Exactly a floor above us. That way, the boys are right there. And you're right there if we need anything. Or if you need anything. And you're above us, so you don't have to hear our bed come through the floor."

I shut him up with the biggest hug I could've possibly given him, "Thank you..."

"My pleasure," Victor kissed the top of my head while I choked back tears, "What's this all about, Violet? You can't start crying on me. You know how bad I am with that sort of thing."

"I know," I wiped my eyes, "Sorry."

"You're human, sweetheart," he cradled me, "I understand."

"I love you," I laid my head on his shoulder.

"I love you, too," Victor ran his fingers up my arm.

"Yet we just got divorced," I joked darkly, making sure to keep my voice down.

"Doesn't mean we don't still care about each other," he reminded me, "You were an amazing wife, Violet. An even better mother. And you're the best friend I could ever ask for. We're just not married on paper anymore."

"And you're going to make me cry again," I laughed it off, "You asshole."

"I promise," Victor defended, "It's not intentional! Either I have a way with words or you're overly sensitive."

"Or both?"

"Probably both."

"You know," I let out a heavy sigh, "I'm glad we're ending it like this. No animosity. No blow up in the press."

"Me, too," Victor agreed, "And it's not like we're leaving each other. It's just that our arrangement is going to be a little different."

"In that case," I did a quick change of the subject, "You and Chris...Big wedding?"

That brought a big smile to Victor's face, "You know it, baby. As big as we can go."

"Maybe another courthouse trip?" I jabbed.

"Maybe," he retaliated, "And maybe it can be the same one I got divorced at!"

"I don't know," I giggled, "That smells a little full circle-y for my taste."

"No," Victor rolled his eyes, "Honestly, a private ceremony in London in the winter sounds nice, don't you think?"

"That does," I nodded, "Peaceful. Simple. Beautiful. I love it."

"I don't know," he thought it over, "I'm sure Chris and I will talk about it some time soon."

"I'm still invited to that, right?" I took a sip of my tea.

"Of course," Victor scoffed, "I'm insulted you had to ask."

I knew of very few things in this life, but I knew a few for absolute certain.

1\. I loved Victor and that would never change.

2\. Victor loved me and that would never change.

3\. Victor loved Chris differently than me and that's ok.

And probably the most important one:

4\. I may not have had the most orthodox family, but I knew I wouldn't trade it for the world.

 **A/N: And there we have it. Adopted has now come to an end. I will leave it up to an open forum discussion. Yes. You, third row.**

 **Is there going to be a sequel?**

 **Yes! Yes, friends. There is going to be a sequel. It's going to be out probably in January next year.**

 **Anyone? Anyone else? The lovely individual in the front corner.**

 **What's going to happen in the meantime?**

 **Well! I'm glad you asked, metaphorical person! Because I'm going to be posting a one shot next week (It's going to be kind of like this one with a Victor x Reader friendship kind of thing, but there will be some Victuri in there. I pinky promise.). And after that, I'm going to be posting a miniseries of something a little different that'll definitely be that good old-fashioned Victuri we all know and love. Is that alright with you? I hope it is.**

 **You know, I thought I was going to get some backlash for this story when I started posting it. I really did. So thank you for not being dicks. I appreciate it. See you later. xx**


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